"No More Locals"

Long gone are the boozers of old
Changing society we are told
And not being able to smoke anymore
That is really at the core.
I might be wrong so check your facts
But could it be down to extortionate tax?
The fact that people can't afford to drink
Is why boozers are dying and on the brink.
Pubs were once chapels of the poor
Not flats for the posh behind a locked door.
Now you need a mini lottery win
To get a decent tray of drinks in
Open your wallet for a small round
You'll get no change from twenty pound.
It's now piss up at home or on the street
Value for money Tesco can't be beat.
The pub on the corner was the community heart
Now it's hardly beating unable to start.
Once you've lost it
They'll never come back
Saving one or two
Papers over a crack.
The streets of London
Changed for the worse
Backstreet boozers will only be there in verse
Faintly distant in imagination
We've killed off the heritage of our nation.
Just make believe
On a soap opera screen
Only gastro pubs for the posh
On the village green.

Dulwich Poet 15th September 2013

(This turned out to be a poem about the loss of so many pubs. It wasn't supposed to be that, but that's how ideas in my head evolve! )