STRATFORD EAST:

 

Dipped into Stratford East the scene of another thing.

I remember the shock if seeing what had happened to the place,

how it had changed, is it good? – you’d have to ask the locals. 

I remember the poetry of streets being strong here, the sounds, 

smells & sights on the original side of the tracks being 

so much richer than the sanitised shopping experience on the 

other. A young lad sits cross legged on a concrete slab, his back 

against a lamp post, widly improvisiting an electric guitar next 

to a colour picture of Lou Reed above a poem in bold type which 

reads, ‘It’s a Perfect Day’. I nod in passing, counting cracks 

around the rim of the ring road, passing under the curvaceous bones 

of the civic art tarting up the same facade of the old shopping mall. 

It’s opalescent faces reflect the sky like the backs of scarabs. 

It may not be the Tate but it cheers me on a grey day & I’m grateful 

for the contribution. Check the map in my pocket, make a mental note 

to come back & sing the names of streets that recall the people 

& the trades at the root of this community.

 

Tonight, at Stratford Circus, our friends from Frantic Assembly 

create an exciting piece of theatre, offering hope & opening the 

door to a new world of endless positives. They are doing great 

things, putting energy into community & showing how lives can change 

direction. These guys do brilliant work, investing love & passion. 

How do you feel about giving them support & checking them out tonight? 

 

(K)