Who Cares? I do.

Elaine Jackson
2004

17 and just left school,
3 GCSEs and a dregree in pool.
Not bad for a kid off the Estate
But the Art College will have to wait.
Who cares? I do.

Mum's sick of filling in forms
Asking the council to come and 'mow the lawns'.
It would be easier to give them a bell
But their answering machine's full as well.
Who cares? I do.

The Social seems to have done a flit
But the machines in there are still doing their bit.
You have to phone Newcastle to ask for a docket
Centralization has left Mum out of pocket.
Who cares? I do.

Gran's getting on but she still likes to jive -
I can't believe she's 65.
We need the room, we'll have to shift her.
My girlfriend's so heavy I can hardly lift her.
Who cares? I do.

Mum's got mixed feelings - but that's nothing new.
A child of the 60s, broken in two.
Hippy inclinations - lover of soaps
She lived while Alan Aikburn wrote.

Robin Hood's an outlaw - 'let's give to the poor'
Let me know if you need 'owt, I'm only next door.}
My town was once a friendly place
A walk to the shops, not a rat race.
Who cares? I do.

The old woman upstairs once starred in Macbeth
Now she knits dishcloths for her Occupational Health.
3 witches, a brew and a cigarette.
Is there still time for happiness......

The architect's office is in the loft flat
No place left for artists, that's a fact.
The dogs are fighting and that frightens me
Everyone's in lumber and there's only one tree.
Who cares? I do.

Least all I can do now is look out for my mates
But the jokes we share now are all second rate.
The real fear now is 'Was grandad right?'
I could check with my dad - using satellite.

One day I went to cool off in the park.
I didn't notice it was getting dark.
A guy in a wheelchair muttered 'lager lout'.
He was deaf and I just had to shout.
Who cares? I do.

I asked the guy what the hell was wrong,
'Not much', he says 'but it won't be long
Before my "Carer" "finds me" and takes me back
I used to live in an institution. Now I live in a flat.'
Care in the Community?
Who cares? I do.

Elaine Jackson is an artist and writer living in Lancaster.