Canary Wharf

(from the upcoming poetry collection Sunsetting: Poems for Failed Civilisations)

It was here, by this empty office tower

where voices once bounced against the concrete

as people talked about their work

about their promotions and portfolios

while the world around them was silently dying

Their voices were too loud for anyone to hear 

the sifting of the earth beneath

too proud to be concerned 

about bricks and mortar. 

But now, 

even the wind can finally be heard

a dancing piece of paper can finally give 

the career-defining audition of its lifetime

to be judged by a panel of bored seagulls

who just happened to be in the area.

The canary was missing from the coalmine 

Because it had been drowned in the wharf

George is an author, researcher, podcaster, chemist, molecular biologist and food scientist. You can follow him on Twitter @99blackbaloons , listen to his Spotify podcast George reads George, join his mailing list, or enjoy his books