I am spending my way out
Of a recession. The road chokes
On delivery vans.
I used to be Just looking Around,
I used to be How Much, and
Have You Got it in Beige.
Now I devour whole stores –
High speed spin; giant size; chunky gold;
De luxe springing. Things.
I drag them around me into a stockade.
It is dark inside; but my credit cards
Are incandescent.
Connie Bensley (1929- ).
Connie Bensley did not write poetry until she was in her early 40s. She was a secretary to doctors and an MP, as well as being a medical copywriter. She lives in a comfortable part of suburban London, and touches unerringly on middle-class desires, their apparent needs and tempting escape strategies. Today she challenges me on, 'How will I cope with the current financial crisis?'
An extremely relevant and interesting passage