JOHN WALKER is 53 years old and lives in Inglewood. He started writing poetry 18 months ago – proving it’s never too late to start – and reckons it’s become fun, therapeutic and expressive. “I have two rescue cats, two fish tanks and about 300 plants in my three-bed villa in ‘The Avenues’ of Inglewood,” he tells us. “I’ve lived in Mt Lawley and Inglewood for 13 years now and I wouldn’t live anywhere else, I love it here, especially the Inglewood village life.”
He wrote this poem, Inglewood, the week the local Bunnings burned down. Passionate for its return at the time, John says he’d now be happy with the new proposed Woolworths development.
Inglewood
Our hood
My hood
Clocktower
Tyrepower
IGA gone
Aldi
Bring it on
Soon
Please
For the ease
For Us!
No fuss
Less travel
No ravel
My side
Just build it
NOW!
Monday night markets
People galore
Thousands
Food vans
Folk explore
Eat
Embrace
Happy faces
Full tummies
Yummies
Then!!
Smoke
Boom
Bang
Gloom
Damn
Bam
Fire
Galore
Bunnings
It stood the testament of time
Since 195?
WHAT?
It fell to its knees
No more
Beloved
Embraced
Local
Focal
Central
Friendly
Favourite
Embraced
By the community
But on that night
Of the markets
In March 18
The smoke
The fire
The flame
The flume
The fury
Chemicals
Insane
We have lost
Our centre
Of flowers
And potting mix
The Saturday morning fix
Tradies
Gardeners
Renovators
Painters
Wanderers
Wannabees
It burnt
Down in flames
Fast furious
Insane
On that Monday night
I saw the sirens
Flashing lights
Sky red
Unspoken
Be said
Be sad
Road blocks
Firemen insight
Red lights
As I drove down
Our beloved Beaufort St
To see
So sad
So mad
It’s mad-ness
Please rebuild
For US
Not for you
We embrace
Our avenues
Our 8th Ave Bunnings
Where it belongs
Always singing its song
Happily
For decades and years
We don’t want to drive
The busy roads
To Morley
Or Baysie
Or Ozzy park.
Madness
Think of us
Little us
BIG us
That fills your coffers
Don’t be scoffers
Inglewood
My hood
Our hood
Rebuild
Behold
Rejoice
Embrace
Respect
Support
Our
Beautiful
Amazing
Embraced
Little hood
Called Inglewood
C’mon Wesfarmers
Don’t be alarmist
Don’t be greedy
Support the man
The little man
The corner man
The mortgage man
The big man
The happy spender man
Who feeds you
Supports you
Embraces you
Profits you
Loves you
Stay local focal
Be strong
Don’t do US wrong
Hood
Inglewood
My beloved hood
My hood
Embrace
Love
Our village
Our culture
Us
Beloved
Don’t desert us
Rebuild
Hold your field.
Man up
Bunnings
Rebuild
Be love
Embrace
US!!
Our hood
My hood
Inglewood!!
Perth Voice Interactive 
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