Roses Poem
Ode To A Family
It was June sixty-two when Taylors began,
With a tanker, Adrian and a driving man,
Wyllie of course was running the show,
Telling Iris and Rose where the bills had to go.
The customers were set we were ready to roll,
Charlie Alexander, Trollope and Coll,
Wiggins Teape, Munro’s and the S.A.I.,
Northern Marts, the buses and more bye and bye,
We picked up cement every morning and night,
And then it was sewage, sludge and barite,
God help us when it was pouring down with rain,
Mannies would call saying sook oot oor drain.
Nae fancy computers tae list a’ the names,
We managed to run it fine fae oor hames,
We dumped all oor waste near cliffs at Gregness,
But Adrian was keen to be part of the mess,
So over he went to the rocks down below
And no more of Taylors for six months or so.
A spanking new tanker we’re ready once more,
Then moving to Downies our tanker to store,
Lo and behold tankers one, two and three,
Chris and the gang had come to join me,
In that sleek portacabin ideally placed,
Inside the garage the sun never graced,
Time passes by a new face did appear,
Kevin our own young driver of the year,
Full of ideas for the chances to grab,
Soon to be known for his gift of the gab,
With laughter and jokes he’s mellowed with age,
But he still f’s and c’s when he’s in a rage.
The next move to Altens our present domain,
Increasing the fleet and the staff once again,
This is the time a new era begins,
Vessel tank cleaning and now wheelie bins,
Dry waste and skips, hook loaders and lifts,
All types of waste we’ll dae it in shifts,
Stabilisation’s a right fancy name,
For treating the stuff in this waste game,
And now there’s mair tanks and lorries galore,
We even had to take over next door.
This family business has spanned forty years,
With three generations of blood sweat and tears,
The next generation will soon be along,
And I hope they can keep the firm going strong,
It’s been extraordinary working with you,
So I’ll wish you good luck for the next forty too.