Palmerston North poet Jennifer Burr remembered

"Behold this urban rodeo, roll up and see the show," writes Jennifer Burr. Photo / Palmerston North City Council

Palmerston North poet Jennifer Burr died on February 26, aged 90.

In 2022, the Manawatū Guardian published two of her poems Arthritis and Flu.

To mark her death, today we publish one about her city.

Palmerston North

By Jennifer Burr

The traffic hurtles round The Square.

Pedestrians who do and dare

Leap nimble-footed everywhere

And woe betide the slow.

Roll up and see the show.

The architects and builders vie

To be the first to touch the sky

And grab themselves a piece of pie.

Come, watch the city grow,

Roll up and see the show.

Our city fathers and their mates

In sanctioned glee prescribe our fates.

“Tee hee! We’ll double all the rates

and spend up large!” they crow,

Roll up and see the show.

Old buildings are a rank disgrace

Like warts upon a pretty face,

And greedy eyes begrudge their space

So Pow! Away they go!

Roll up and see the show.

The playful winds take aim and blow

As tides of shoppers ebb and flow,

So come along now, don’t be slow,

Behold this urban rodeo,

Roll up and see the show.