Underbelly

In my home town
The underbelly
Of society
Had become
Like the backbone

The legs swivelled round
To stand up on

Great noises burst out
From the underbelly
Like muddy water
In a gale wind

The eyes are below it
And the mouth is above it
So that it’s cravings
Are in the ascendant

And with its eyes beneath it
It can easily scan the earth
For titbits

Then one day
It entered
The Birmingham city opera house
It waddled down the central aisle
Soiling the carpets
It chewed the tailcoats and top hats
Of those seated
And it carried
The ladies in their white ball gowns
To the orchestra pit
Where it sat
Like a pig on an ants nest

This shocked the authorities
Who convened a Cobra meeting
To discuss the underbelly of society

They tightened the rules
Gave the police more powers

Just then
The great mother of the underbelly of society
Came crashing through the wall