Peak Hour In Manchester Poem by Peter Hall

Trying to get out of Manchester
To get back on the M6
During the fun called 'peak hour'
Requires all your tools and tricks.

I start on the M61
Four lanes of hotbed frustration
Which lane am I supposed to be in?
Oh yes, the one with least congestion.

But that just causes problems
Because you have stay in the right lane
Else you end up in Wigan
No good if you want to stay sane.

The truck on my left cuts in
And tries to go faster than me
Do I slow down or accelerate
But there's a fool on the right side of me.

I'm feeling sandwiched in
But then they all slow right down
Then a car cuts in ahead
Wearing the idiots crown.

I listen to the BBC Merseyside
They say traffic is all just fine
I'd hate to see a traffic jam
I'm going gray in my prime! .

The sat nav says 200 miles to go
I see the sign to Leeds
But can't see the white line
The rain makes it hard to see.

So I think about my life
And some mistakes I have made
Mixing laughs with regrets
While the traffic tries to made me afraid.

After I tough it out
I finally hit the M6
Finally the road back to Scotland
Leaves behind all my tools and tricks.

So if you are ever in Manchester
The city of culture and sport
Where both means the motor ways
Will ensure you never are bored.