The Ballad of Parsonage Street

Day 19: write a poem that tells a story of a tragedy in the style of a blues song or ballad. The tragedy can be in the modern sense of an awful event, or the ancient dramatic sense of a play in which someone does something terrible, and the play’s action shows the consequences.

The ballad form is written in quatrains, with a rhyme scheme of ABCB, and can often contain a refrain. I've possibly exaggerated the demise of Dursley,  but I've seen it happen to many small towns when a supermarket is built on the outskirts.  

The Ballad of Parsonage Street

They said it would be a boon for the town
Revive fading fortunes, breathe new life,
They said it would be the saving grace,
For the old town centre where closures were rife.

They said it would bring new people in,
They'd come for the supermarket, stay on to shop,
But when you can get it all in one place
Why would you bother, why would you stop?

The greengrocer went first, it couldn't compete
With the prices, the quality, sheer range of goods,
The bakery followed, contracting then gone,
The butcher alone left to sell us fresh foods.

Now the high street looks like a place quite forgotten,
Few feet now walk down the pedestrian way
To visit the cafés, nail bars, and barbers,
Once busy, once vibrant, it's now had its day.

So think hard you planners, with visions of progress,
Think hard when you make those decisions so neat,
It's never straightforward to see what is coming,
Take note of what happened to Parsonage Street.


© Copyright 2025. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved


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