(after E J Thribb)

So, farewell then Woolworths,
Duck-egg blue and pillar-box red livery,
1950s chrome and glass frontages.
Broken biscuits by the pound, dried-up garden plants,
Dylon dyes and Ladybird children's clothes.
Buckets and spades in seaside resorts,
LPs and singles in city and town.
An Aladdin's cave of plastic wonders
seen from a child's eye height,
Prosaic curtain poles and paint for the grown-ups.
The place to go when you can't think
of where else would sell it.

So many memories over my lifetime.
All going or gone - how sad.