Last Chance to Buy

Last chance to buy
extravagant fragrances
soaked in celebrity culture.

Christ cut out
of Christmas
with satanic surgical skill.

Unwanted presents
passing back and forth,
to be re-gifted,
or donated shortly
to grateful charity shops.

Confectionery bulging
over the ends
of every aisle.

Supermarkets consumed
with sweet stuff,
cleverly packaged
to show the serving
in a more generous light.

Shoppers struggling
for car parks and trolleys,
festive jingles
ringing repeatedly
in their ears.

Inflatable Santas
sitting crookedly
on top of shelving,
sagging with slow deflation.

Traffic jams
in sleepy side streets,
as harried parents
stuff stockings
which get bigger every year.

The epoch of materialism
is at its zenith,
showing no signs
of waning,
except when natural disaster
or sabotage
brings commerce to a temporary halt.

Last chance to buy

Last chance to buy

Last chance to buy


before the Boxing Day sales.