COMING DOWN TO EARTH

Press, 16 August 1980, Page 14

COMING DOWN TO EARTH

By

WHIM WHAM

. Flying in'and but. ' ■ 7' ; 7'.. .7 - Of Wellington is one 7 ‘f.„- ; 7 Of the Things we do for the Nation. \ . It has to be dohe : . Now and again. I know Some. People, who must clock . ;; . ;y; Hundreds of> .Hours-a. Year ; '•; 7-- . - Doing:it. The slight;Shock • ; \ Of Arrival at the .Capital, Still sucking that, sticky Sweet, They' hardly- notice, any more ■ Than-crossing the Street. .. . w And the shabby Corridors ■ Of Rongotai, that'.windswept Slum, Passengers sorting. Themselves . : Out. like a collapsed Scrum 7 . ■ ■ Waiting for the Whistle, it's all - 7 In the Day’s Work for Executives, . ' . ; Committeemen, Politicians,’ . Bureaucrats big and small, Salesmen, Musicians — .. ■ Out of the Plane where They sat * Like a Podful of Peas, .-.- All picking away at; their Plastic • Wrapped Biscuits and Cheese, Coffee in their: Plastic'Cups, ; .7 ' . Crumbs on their Knees. - Unavoidable: the Wellington Shuttle, No use feeling it’s a Pity . - • - ’.. The Seat of Misgovernment isn’t •In some other City. . ' -7 . ' - . ; Does ?it matter where the Beehive, is? ■.. Oh a Hill, in a Hollow? ,T, '' . 'Where the Queen is, there’s the .'Swarm, And the Drones will follow. > • . [

Below the Plane,' the Lights of Wellington spread. ■ It looks like Fairyland, the ..Lady said. ' From this Height (I was rude enough to say),.. ■So do the' -urban Deserts of L.A:, 7 . < ; ' Sb do the Bronx, and; London — every Town - Looks just like That! But wait Oil You. touch down-. ■: 7 7--/ 77;7 77777< ;<:7 ;7.'7 7/: -■7 l ■;