Winter

Winter, Snow in the air, birch trees are bare,
Two buntings sing on a branch which they share.
Bottles chink as the milkman delivers
His last two pints, then beds Mrs Smithers.
A fiece crow leans on a mast as a prop,
Whining helipopter circles rooftops.
School boys' ringtones are filling the air,
Downloading something nasty, for a dare.
Sid trims shrubs, he's a topiary freak,
Bill stares at his roof fearing a leak.
A dog walker waits to scoop up faeces
In a plastic bag, when Pongo pleases,
He does not mind, even when it freezes.
They're both old, full of coughs and sneezes.
At dusk the drumming and jazzing begins,
The Jones boys are making a shocking din.
At night foxes swagger along the street,
They're breeding, they shriek and scream when they meet.
The last train clinks and clanks over the line,
The wined and dined lie sleeping supine.

Spring

A For Sale sign is up at number three,
Pink cherry blossom makes it look so twee.
Keen gardeners chance what the weather grants,
To trim privets, plant shrubs, and potted plants.
Solitary joggers pound the pavement,
Moving with power, but keeping silent.
The Browns never pull their curtains, you might
See what they eat and drink every night.
The widow next door starts her spring-cleaning,
Polishing, scrubbing give her life meaning.
Cath has left Jim after twenty-two years,
'He was so boring,' she said, waving shears,
Now hitched with an accordion player,
The couple have left for Eritrea.
Husbands in the street are looking nervous,
Placating wives, however fractious.

Summer

The ice-cream man's van arrives - ding, dong, ding.
Children rush out in response to his ring.
On Saturdays men start mowing their lawns,
They seek order among weeds, reeds and thorns.
Dressed in white, Mary goes to play tennis,
Swishing rackets recall love of Dennis.
You can see the Browns dancing the tango,
Shadows hover, they pause to eat mango.
Joan's having a party in her garden.
She would like to do this far more often.
Serves Pimms, wine and other concoctions,
'No T-shirts please on these occasions.'
They listen to gossip, they are no saints.
'That man Cath ran off with is a gypsy,
Women mad, perpetually tipsy.'

Autumn

There's heavy rain and wind gusts round the eaves.
Maples are shedding piles of amber leaves.
Plump Canada geese fly honking lakeward,
They glide over trees to reach the duckboard.
The boy called Sam's off to senior school.
He's wearing new blue uniform by rule.
His mother drives him there and back non-stop.
She hardly ever goes for a good shop.
There's a new young milkman on the round now,
He's humourless and has a furrowed brow.
Mrs Smithers' man left after a row,
Thrown over the traces to live in Slough.
Jim's helping Sid shape chickens in his hedge,
Taken to drink, ought to sign the pledge.
If only he could find another Cath,
He's searching in the Daily telegraph.
A passing train sounds two notes on its horn,
And so to bed for the loveless, careworn
people who live in this sought-after street,
Where love and hate reside. It's hard to beat.