An Ode to the Waterways.

The Canal and River Trust is beginning to be just a piss poor copy of the old British Waterways. Which in turn was a piss poor version of the transport commission. The trust has certainly not improved the management and has continued to underspend on maintenance of the waterways. The future is looking bleak.

An Ode to the Waterways.

The waterways have had a poor deal, from the day the railways came;

nationalisation should have been the saviour, but turned out the same;

the transport commission then the waterways board, now it is a trust;

the over hyped future is a bleak one, as the shopping trolleys rust.

What have we done and why did we do it, now in a situation dire;

another mess created leaping out of the pan, landing in the fire;

our hopes forlorn are now all dashed, the deed can't be reversed;

our hopes of a much better future, have worked out to be absurd.

We thought that things were bad then, but how wrong can you be;

things proved to be a darn sight better then, as we can plainly see;

the false promises of a whole new dawn, were weasel worded lies;

wild promises of a rosy future, made with furtive glancing eyes.

The truth now proves a heavy burden, how could we be such fools;

high flung aspirations made by them, that did not have the tools;

there's no accountability and no direction, no one to shoulder blame;

a misplaced vanity that they knew best, but it can never be the same.

Now the cut and assets have been given over, to a charitable trust;

canals and rivers is theirs to manage, just a cut that's full of rust;

lost is the knowledge of the workforce, that knew each and every mile;

redundant and replaced by volunteers, there's no reason to raise a smile.

It is the cyclists lobby and the dog walking folk, who call the pipers tune;

for boaters its breaches and year round stoppages, we whistle at the moon;

as the future stutters and falters, those responsible can quietly slink away;

uncared for ignored just left to rot, all know the cuts has had its day.

Evan Keel.

The Alternative Canal Laureate.