Wns I am śr ɖr’z nʈñ gwñ on
I step insd, letñ ɖ dor ʈud śut.
Anɖr ćrć: matñ, sīts, n ston,
N litl bcs; sprōlñz v flǎrz, cut
Fr Súnde, brǎniś nǎ; sm bras n stuf
P at ɖ holi end; ɖ smōl nīt orgn;
N a tns, musti, unignoṛbl sîḷns,
Brùd God nz hǎ loñ. Hatlis, I tec of
Mî sîclclips in ōcẉd revṛns,
Muv fwd, run mî hand arnd ɖ font.
Fṛm ẃr I stand, ɖ rūf lcs olmst ny –
Clīnd or rstord? Smwn wd nǒ: I d’nt.
Mǎntñ ɖ lectn, I p’rūz a fy
Hecṭrñ larj-scel vrsz, n pṛnǎns
“Hir endiʈ ” mć mor lǎdli ɖn I’d mnt.
Ɖ ecoz snigr brīfli. Bac at ɖ dor
I sîn ɖ bc, dnet an Îriś sixpns,
Rflect ɖ ples wz nt wrʈ stopñ fr.
Yt stop I dd: in fact I ofn d,
N olwz end mć at a los lîc ɖs,
Wunḍrñ ẃt t lc fr; wunḍrñ, tù,
Ẃn ćrćz fōl cmplitli ǎt v ys
Ẃt w śl trn ɖm intu, f w śl cīp
A fy cʈīdṛlz cronicli on śo,
Ɖer parćmnt, plet, n pix in loct cesz,
N let ɖ rest rent-fri t ren n śīp.
Śl w avôd ɖm az unluci plesz?
Or, aftr darc, wl dybịs wimin cm
T mc ɖer ćildṛn tuć a ptiklr ston;
Pic simplz fr a cansr; or on sm
Advîzd nît si wōcñ a ded wn?
Pǎr v sm sort or uɖr wl g on
In gemz, in ridlz, sīmñli at randm;
Bt sūṗstiśn, lîc b’lif, mst dî,
N ẃt rmenz ẃn disḅlif hz gn?
Gras, wīdi pevmnt, bramblz, butris, scî,
A śep les recgnîzbl ć wīc,
A prṗs mor obskr. I wundr hu
Wl b ɖ last, ɖ vri last, t sīc
Ɖs ples fr ẃt it wz; wn v ɖ cru
Ɖt tap n jot n nǒ ẃt rȕdlofts wr?
Sm ruinbibr, randi fr antīc,
Or Crisṃs-adict, cǎntñ on a ẃif
V gǎn-n-bandz n orgnpîps n mr?
Or wl h b mî repriznttiv,
Bord, uninformd, nwñ ɖ gostli silt
Dsprst, yt tndñ t ɖs cros v grǎnd
Ʈru subrbscrub bcz it hld unspilt
So loñ n eqbli ẃt sins z faund
Onli in seṗreśn – marij, n brʈ,
N deʈ, n ʈts v ɖz – fr hūm wz bilt
Ɖs speśl śel? Fr, ɖo I’v no îdīa
Ẃt ɖs acūtrd frǎsti barn z wrʈ,
It plizz m t stand in sîḷns hir;
A sirịs hǎs on sirịs rʈ it z,
In huz blént er ol ǎr cmpulśnz mīt,
R rec̣gnîzd, n rǒbd az desṭniz.
N ɖt mć nvr cn b obṣlīt,
Sins smwn wl fr evr b s’prîzñ
A hungr in himslf t b mor sirịs,
N graṿtetñ wɖ it t ɖs grǎnd,
Ẃć, h wns hŕd, wz propr t gro wîz in,
F onli ɖt so mni ded lî rnd.
