They give me a sad kind of longing
A nostalgia for that which I never knew
Maybe because it means there was a time they worked
The things that never worked
Every small town has them
Every village
The top of a church is a weird place for a crowing cock to stand
The only relation is Simon Peter I guess, the disciple
My parish cathedral had one
It was supposed to be a weather cock
To tell the direction of wind
I don’t know why they put one at the top of the church
It never worked
Not in all my life
But it has always been there
I used to crane my head to see it on the church tower
It made me sad
Made me think
And this one old fuel pump
We passed it on our way from church
It just stood there
It had always stood there
Not working
It never worked
Sometimes when I was sad
Sad about other things
I thought of the desolate pump
And my chest would get all heavy
Things that never worked make me sad
But it’s not all in a bad way
They make me think,
Feel