We have spent quite a lot of time in England--I originally for several years on the east coast as an Air Force weather officer, and then later on academic sabbaticals in Oxford and Cambridge...and our son and his wife have even taken British dual citizenship because they like the style of life so much there. Over the years we've seen the relentless, remorselessly insatiable corporate takeover of the pub, so to speak, as vapid bottled commercial brews (by whatever mega-corporation) have overtaken the original, traditional local British brews-on-tap. Going fast are the 'pint of bitters' or 'half and half'..... Profit over all, the way of our commercial world, a greedy genie that our societies somehow can't put back in the bottle, so to speak. So, here's a bit of nostalgia.....
The Passing Pub
Bye-bye, pub, we’ll see ya, pints
Your ales are in an ailing state!
Bud and Miller, bottled mints
Make changing ‘pubs’ to ‘bars’ your fate
To sit and chat o’er beer that’s flat
And slowly drain a mug’s contents
In contemplation or idle chat
Of soccer scores or cricket runs
Ah, there were once our evenings spent
Uniquely British, that they were
With pints in mugs, day’s main events...
But now it’s just a plain ol’ bar
Of bottles drunk up, slug by slug:
Off the cap and down the hatch
Not even from a glass or mug
Without the quiet talk to match
Oh, pub! Oh, pub! Where have you gone?
We miss you badly, now you’ve changed:
Of pints of bitters from tap drawn
And British culture.....we’ve been drained!
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