I fished the canal

with a stick some cotton

and a worm

I’d sit on the canal bank

In the warmth of the sun

And I’d watch

 has that worm did squirm

Back then the canal

Was filled with life

So full of wild creatures

It could be cut with a knife

Frogs, toads, sticklebacks

To name just a few

While over head

May fly’s and dragon fly’s flew

The water was clear

You could see to the mud

That bubbled with life

Like a giant soapsud

But now that I’m grown

The canal’s just a pit

Filled with old shopping trolleys

And all kinds of s**t.

The life is all gone

You can’t even find a snail

If you do find a frog

It is very sick and pale

Now when I walk the canal

I get a tear in my eye.

And the little boy inside me

he starts to cry