To Autumn 2013

On this day in 1819 Keats wrote his famous ode.

But what would he have made of today's consumerism?

For the last few years I have been irritated by the Chrismas displays being wwheeled out before the summer holidays have even finished, so I have amended - a little bit - this famous poem to reflect what Autumn means 200 years on....



Season of mince pies and untimely Advent Calendars
Close bosom-friend of the grasping retail trade;
Conspiring with them how to load and pile
With tat, the trolleys that round the shops parade;
To bend with toys the Children’s Section floor,
And fill all aisles with chocolates and sweets;
To cram in every type of gift and card
For every family member; to set panic buying more,
And still more, food and drink we never need,
Until we forget warm days have not yet ceased,
For greed has o'erbrimmed their corporate plans.


Who hath not seen thee too early in the stores?
From September whoever wanders in will see
The tins of biscuits piled by the front door,
Turkish Delight, Yule logs, Christmas tree
Or if in the drinks section you may roam,
Drowsed with the fume of Cointreau, while the display
Groans with gin and whisky, Baileys and Cours;
Egg-nog and snowballs – when would we take these home
Except for Great Aunt Annie’s Yuletide stay?
And by the stock, with silver tray,
Staff offer little tasters, hours by hours.


Where are the Harvest celebrations? Or even Hallowe’en?
Think not of them, they make too little cash, -
A few buy apples and tins of stuff for the school assembly,
And trick or treat sweets and masks and all that trash;
Soon in a wailful choir Christmas adverts will begin;
The festive TV trailers, there among
The first Coca Cola advert assaults our ears;
And then we know we may as well give in;
Carols piped through all the shops decibels strong
We end up whistling Slade’s old song;
And celebrities tweet plugs for new CDs.