Whose Quarry Now?

Just to prove that poetry, or writing in general, can really mean that the pen is mightier than the sword, here is a poem I wrote to protest against the County Council's plans to dig an enormous quarry right on our doorstep.  Within weeks of this poem being read in our local clubs, plus my stiff letter to the local paper, the Council had withdrawn in bewildered retreat.  The local anti-quarry campaign obviously claimed it was them wot done it, but I'm sure it was the power of the following rhymes.

Whose Quarry Now?

Well Wiltshire’s done itself proud!

They’re planning to give us some quarries:

With dust and pollution to come,

And the roads filled up with their lorries.

They’re going to dig some great holes in the ground,

To dig out the sand and the grit,

But where they’re looking to do this,

We don’t think that it’s fit. 

They’ve not thought of the damage

To be caused by most of these sites.

So we’re going to bloody well fight them,

And make sure we stand up for our rights.

We want to keep our arable farming,

And the jobs which also depend.

The small local businesses,

And for these, we’ll fight to the end. 

This greensand is too precious

To fritter away in their plan.

So we’ll raise all our objections,

And oppose it however we can. 

We love all of our wildlife,

The fields and habitat here.

They’re not going to get their hands on it,

On that they’d better be clear. 

They say it’s only consultation,

So we’ve set up many a meeting.

If they think we’re having this,

They’re going to take quite a beating. 

Quarries in Bromham, in Calne and in Rowde,

And all of the prospective land,

Would put such a blight on our houses,

That it’s not worth it for sand. 

The truth is it’s an intrusion,

In fact the whole affair sucks.

We don’t want their quarries or landfill,

And we don’t want any more trucks. 

So the Council must understand,

That to proceed with mineral extraction,

We’re not going to lie down & just take it,

Without a huge negative action. 

And finally there’s one more point to make:

And the Council needs to get this -

To ride roughshod over our views

Is really taking the piss.

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2010