The Wood Street Shuffle
I had lived in Cardiff before when man first walked on the moon and maroon buses had sad faces.
So when I first returned to Cardiff I went to see Don McLean singing Vincent at St David's Hall.
From my bedsit in Canton, I walked in and turned left up Cathedral Road.
This mistake made the final performance feel more alive.
Cardiff is about social class and I have lived in Grangetown for the last thirty years.
This has also been a 'camgymeriad' as the up-worldly mobiles with neutral accents from North Wales might say.
My 'cyfoedion' are returning like euog up river now.
The old boys returning to the Gogarth of the Gogledd.
Social circles are funny things.
I never had one.
Just got pissed to make up for some inadequacy not realising that the out-worldly perfect were just hiding their fear.
I was soft and kind as a younger man, ideal for the poetic soul but not much good for digging coal at the face of life where hardness and brusqueness and rudeness were considered desirable traits.
"Useless, pathetic, cracked egg" my inner dialogue would remind me.
Took the opportunity to get educated
My curiosity had been sated but I still don't have a job.
Career less and rudder less but free (ish)
Over 50 now, outwardly fucked but inwardly on fire.
Quite different to when I first returned to Cardiff, outwardly fine but inwardly fucked.
A metaphor for our fine, bright and shiny Capital City?
Have you ever done the Wood Street Shuffle?
Something terrible must have happened down there once.
Buses unload their cargo but the pavement is dark with shadows.
If the BBC and HMRC are coming into Central Square you can be quite sure that they won't be leaving it like it is there now!
The formidable women from Shaws the Drapers are gone replaced by orange builders in hard hats who will move on to other projects once this is done.
I wonder which flag will be planted on top of these establishment buildings?
The Union Jack or the Ddraig Goch or both to keep everyone happy.
Lets just hope that one or two pigeons at least stay rogue amongst the gentrified conformists.
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