SATURDAY 14th MARCH 2009.

So once again the daughter’s out shopping, only
This time on an away day school strip to London,
And, get this right, on the busiest day of the week,
Down the busiest street in Europe, the fizzy things
Masquerading as teachers have allowed the 14
To 15 year olds to roam the streets unsupervised
On the proviso that if lost they use their mobiles
To seek assistance. That must be why she called
Me then and said she wasn’t sure where the tube
Station in Oxford Street was, but thought it might be
Near Harrods, as her mate and her had to meet the
Group there in an hour. Her and a single, solitary friend
Going walkabout down that road with only a phone
To turn to in case of mishaps. But I guess that’s because
These things have empowered the young ones into
Thinking themselves all grown up, and our school
Staff have handily accepted that, but if lost, or battery
Flattened, then these same teens would revert to nothing
More than the little missing kiddies they used to be,
In the days before invention, lacking any kind of
Common sense as there’s no curriculum for that and
Hardly an adult worth their salt employed to teach it.