In the floods of ancient Carlisle
lay the subway Hardwicke Circus,
paddled through by swift canoeists
and by swimming scuba divers,
neither red nor green nor amber
of its traffic signals working.
Under rippling sewage waters
stood a football ground, United,
where the millionaire Fred Story,
he the six foot four Long Fellow,
he the Carlisle football owner,
need not transfer-in defenders;
has a goldfish as goal-keeper.

At the Denton manufactory
the For Sale sign on the doorway
bore a message to Fred Story,
he the local master builder,
he the factory converter;
bore the message plain and simple,
bore the message in white writing:
THOUGH YOU’RE BIG ENOUGH TO STAND IT,
DO NOT BUY IT FRED, IT FLOODETH.