'On Strike!' - {A Sheffield Sketch}

 

A suited commuter and a railway worker are standing outside Sheffield railway station. A miserably grey Monday and the start of another working week. 

The railway workers are on strike, and a suited commuter is frustrated and struggling to get to the office;

Commuter - Cancelled. Again.

Railway Worker - What is?

Commuter- My train is!?

Railway Worker - Whys that?

Commuter-  On strike. Again!

Railway Worker - Who is?

Commuter- Trains!

Railway Worker - trains are on strike?

Commuter- No

Railway Worker - Who is then? 

Commuter- Railway workers,... I think 

Railway Worker - Are they?

Commuter- I think so

Railway Worker - Why’s that then?

Commuter-  You should know

Railway Worker - Should I?

Commuter- Well, that's why you're standing here?

Railway Worker - Am I?

Commuter- Yeah, your lot - with your placards and banners. All the same!

Railway Worker - Ah We?

Commuter- Yes! 

Railway Worker - Whys that? 

Commuter- Greedy! - I can't get to work cos a your lot!

Railway Worker - Can’t ya?

Commuter- I’ll lose my bonus now

Railway Worker - Good job, is it?

Commuter- Yeah

Railway Worker - Good hours, is it? 

Commuter- Yeah

Railway Worker - Good pay, is it? 

Commuter-Yeah 

Railway Worker - Nice house, have ya?

Commuter -Yeah

Railway Worker - Garage?

Commuter- Yeah 

Railway Worker - Garden?

Commuter- Yeah 

Railway Worker - Mortgage?

Commuter - Yeah 

Railway Worker - Can work from home then, can ya? 

Commuter- Yeah - laptop, internet, wifi, skype, even got a smart screen TV that I can read my emails on

Railway Worker - I cant!

Commuter- Can you not?

Railway Worker - No. 

The suited commuter and the railway worker look at each other before leaving the outside of Sheffield railway station. One goes left, the other goes right. 

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On Strike! a Sheffield sketch by Ryan B Oxley Written in July 2022 © @rybazoxo 

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(Once again) I have used Sheffield train station as the setting for my writing. If you liked this you may like 'Late night, Sheaf Street' which is also on this website  © @rybazoxo

www.ryanoxleywriter.blogspot.com 

'A Container Park In Sheffield' a new poem by Ryan B Oxley

On Friday night (4th of November 2022), I took a trip to Sheffield to attend a gig at Sheffield City Hall. Walking my way to the venue, I saw Sheffield Container Park'. The council have spent a reported £446,000 on this thing, and it's an absolute eyesore. The cost hits home when you look around the city and see social depravity, poverty, homelessness, and pound shops galore. 

I went to the gig to see punk-poet legend (Dr) John Cooper Clarke and felt inspired enough to write this. It's off the cuff, speedily written, and is (I hope) a nod to JCC's socially intelligent style. Incidentally, I love Sheffield. I know it can do better than this!;

A Container Park that sits in town, 

Rank commercialism for half a million pounds, 

The homeless man sits nearby,

sipping cider to drown, 

whilst the eyesore sits empty, and no one's around

A decadent town hall that sits in town, 

that spent half a million pounds, 

and no one goes down,

Overpriced food that could feed the poverty-stricken,

half a million quid and all it does is sicken. 

A container park that sits in town, 

local rags won't bring this down, 

No writing about the council clowns, 

whilst the poverty-stricken sink cider to drown. 

(c) @rybazoxo 05.11.22 Find more of my writing here www.ryanoxleywriter.blogspot.com  

IMAGE LINK The upper deck of the container park will have a bar Image: Maynard Manyowa / Reach

image via thestar.co.uk