Perpetual litter strewn around
City suburb and wayside ground,
An eyesore to vex the spirit
That mars a walk to Bromley town.
Crisp packets and soft drink cans and plastic cups lie near the ‘Crown’.
 
Vandals scrawl and set cars alight
Anti-social behaviour an all too familiar sight
While locals linger at a ‘take-away’
Discard unwanted chips and greasy batter
But who cares and does it really matter?
 
Raucous noise on Saturday night
Gulping lager in brand-name cans
Thrown away half full in drunken spree:
Bottled rage by swearing fans.
 
Burgers wrapped in polystyrene
Dance around as cars speed  from the scene, 
Non-biodegradable you can be sure of that
Cluttering the High Street or beach flat,
Floating ever visible on a contaminated sea
Blighting our coastal shore or the lea,
Flotsam and jetsam  and oiled birds in shame
Discharging tankers should bare the blame,
Viewed from a commuting train on low walls
On bridges daubed mindless graffiti:
 
The Harlem scourge is here to stay
From London Bridge, Chicago and Tahiti.
A caring authority has placed many bins
But thoughtless people scatter the neighbourhood
With bottles, boxes, tissues and tins.
Who can trace the reckless fellows
That fly-tip building rubble, pallets, lounge chairs on open meadows?
 
Abruptly ends this irksome verse
The debris of the future could be worse. 
Has not the world witnessed the proliferation of litter?
Small wonder observers are saddened and bitter.

B John Plummer, Grove Park