By supportberkshire.uk 
“Slough” – Sir John Betjeman, 1937 (Reimagined)
Oh, friendly bombs, descend upon Slough!
This place is no longer suited for humanity,
No green fields for a cow to quietly graze.
Come forth, Death!
Bring your bombs to shatter to pieces
Those bright, air-conditioned cafeterias,
With their canned fruits, canned meats, canned milk, canned beans,
Canned thoughts, canned breaths.
Disrupt the chaos they dare to call a town—
A residence meant for ninety-seven souls,
And a half-crown payment once a week
For two decades.
And take that man with the double chin,
Who always deceives and emerges victorious,
Who cleanses his loathsome skin
In the tears of women:
And wreck his sleek, polished desk
And break his hands, used to stroking
And silence his tedious, filthy jokes
Let him cry out.
But have mercy on the young clerks, bald and weary,
Who tally the gains of the despicable rogue;
It’s not their fault they’ve lost their sanity,
They’ve glimpsed the abyss.
They aren’t to blame if they cannot hear
The birds chirping on the radio,
Nor for their frequent jaunts
To Maidenhead.
Where they discuss sports and car brands
In imitation-Tudor pubs,
Too afraid to lift their eyes to the stars,
Instead belching.
In homes designed for convenience, painstakingly,
Their wives achieve that frizzed peroxide look,
Drying it with synthetic air
While applying polish to their nails.
Oh, friendly bombs, fall upon Slough,
To prepare the ground for new beginnings.
The cabbages are on their way;
The soil breathes anew.
This poem by Sir John Betjeman captures a profound sense of disillusionment with modern life, specifically targeting the industrial landscape of Slough in the 1930s. Betjeman’s use of vivid imagery and biting satire conveys a deep frustration with the insipidness and artificiality of suburban existence. Lines like “tinned minds, tinned breath” suggest not only a critique of consumerism but also a loss of individuality and human spirit in a mechanized world.
The call for destruction—“Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!”—is jarring yet poignant, as Betjeman seems to be advocating for a cleansing of the mundane and a return to something more authentic and nourishing, symbolized by the imagery of cabbages and earth. It raises questions about the societal norms of the time and how they strip away the essence of life, leaving behind a hollow shell filled with routine.
The poem also captures a dichotomy; while it critiques the superficiality of life in Slough, it expresses empathy for its inhabitants, particularly the young clerks and their families who are trapped in this cycle of monotony. Betjeman’s ability to blend humor with serious critique makes this piece not just a lament for a town but a broader comment on the direction of modern society. How do we balance progress with preserving genuine human experiences? This timeless question remains relevant as we continue to navigate the complexities of contemporary life.