Petticoat Lane, London E.1

Petticoat Lane

Ladies and gents, roll up, roll up 
The request of Cockney patter
You won’t believe your eyes
goes the stallholder’s chatter
 
Merchandise galore 
from soup to nuts
A new set of plates
or some fabric cuts
 
Fresh baked bagels
and plenty of nosh
Saris and leather goods
Some things quite posh
 
Fruits and vegetables
Ribbons and lace
Plants and flowers
Caricatures of your face 
 
Clothing and shoes
in all shapes and sizes
Treasures to be found
Bargains are the prizes
 
A pint of whelks
or some dressed crab
Toffee apples on a stick
Butter on the marble slab
 
A melting pot of cultures
in the London’s East End
A market for everyone
Where personalities blend
 
An historic market
From centuries ago
Everything still for sale
on somebody’s barrow
 
 
 
Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing ©

Sarah is hosting D'Verse Poets tonight and has prompted
us with our memories of markets. Mine is of Petticoat Lane
in London where I used to go as a child. It was colorful
and memorable

  25 comments for “Petticoat Lane, London E.1

  1. June 13, 2019 at 3:13 pm

    I have fond memories of Petticoat Lane, Christine, where I used to buy cheesecloth tops and loons back in the seventies. I love the short lines and rhyme of your poem, which evoke the sounds of the market.

    • Christine Bolton
      June 13, 2019 at 7:13 pm

      Thank you so much Kim 🙂 I thought you might have gone there too seeing as you grew up in London. It was fun wasn’t it?

  2. June 13, 2019 at 7:20 am

    Hi christine! Very wonderful work! Honest expression shared openly. I am having an existential crisis tonight. I invite you to come visit me, cross my bridge of dreams, and listen to Joni sing like an angel!

    • Christine Bolton
      June 13, 2019 at 9:50 am

      Hi Rob, Thanks so much. i did visit your bridge f dreams ad it was magical. Especially with the Joni song to accompany me. Perfect! 🙂

  3. June 12, 2019 at 2:40 pm

    This sound like a wonderful market… wonder if it still operates in such a colorful way.

    • Christine Bolton
      June 12, 2019 at 2:56 pm

      Yes Bjorn I always thought it was magical. It is still there today but I’m not sure those old time market guys are still around. It is a open air Sunday market. Even markets seem to be high tech these days. Covered up with a Starbucks in the middle! No personality 😕

  4. Christine Bolton
    June 12, 2019 at 1:40 pm

    Me too! I’ve always loved them. The costermongers were very theatrical when I was a child. I think mostly that era has been lost now 😕

  5. June 12, 2019 at 11:02 am

    Good rhyming here….and I love the inclusion of the caricature artist! An excellent detail.

    • Christine Bolton
      June 12, 2019 at 11:37 am

      Thanks Lillian 🙂

  6. June 12, 2019 at 3:55 am

    I enjoy markets. No telling what you will find but you will surely find something. 😉

    • Christine Bolton
      June 12, 2019 at 1:41 pm

      Me too! I’ve always loved them. The costermongers were very theatrical when I was a child. I think mostly that era has been lost 😕

  7. June 12, 2019 at 1:34 am

    What glorious and colourful memories you’ve poetically shared, ..

    • Christine Bolton
      June 12, 2019 at 9:32 am

      Thanks Ivor. I’m sure it’s very different now. I have always loved markets 🙂

      • June 12, 2019 at 12:51 pm

        I went to the famous Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, it was very big and busy, I hope the link opens for you
        https://readingterminalmarket.org/

      • Christine Bolton
        June 12, 2019 at 1:39 pm

        Wow that’s a fabulous market Ivor!

      • June 12, 2019 at 5:18 pm

        Yes, my cousins took me there, we spent the day there, it was fascinating, a big indoor market,…. Yeah

      • Christine Bolton
        June 12, 2019 at 7:16 pm

        Fantastic! 🙂

  8. June 11, 2019 at 11:55 pm

    Ah! Christine, you have created a vibrant and lively marketplace! 🙂💞

  9. June 11, 2019 at 10:58 pm

    A very colorful poem too!

    • Christine Bolton
      June 12, 2019 at 9:33 am

      tanks sage. It was very colorful 🙂

      • June 12, 2019 at 11:17 am

        👍

      • Christine Bolton
        June 12, 2019 at 11:38 am

        I meant Thanks Sadje! Silly autocorrect 🤣

      • June 12, 2019 at 1:54 pm

        I know! I guessed as much. But being called a sage is even better! 😃😍

      • Christine Bolton
        June 12, 2019 at 2:13 pm

        Yes I thought it was too 😍

      • June 12, 2019 at 2:23 pm

        ❤️

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