Poem: 'That Terrible Smell'

By Lawrence Curphey Lawrence remembers the smell that used to emanate from the former Monsanto plant in Cefn Mawr.

In the middle of Cefn there was a terrible smell,
People were coughing, some were not well,
'What is it?' cried a woman, as she clutched her nose,
'It must be from those chimneys, down at Monsanto's.'

Two men waiting for a bus on the Crane
Turned to each other and said 'It must be the drain.'
'The drain is alright' shouted a woman named Rose,
'The smell's from those chimneys down at Monsanto's.'

The bus came from Wrexham, the fog it was thick,
'Cefn next stop' said the conductor right quick,
Said a little old lady 'How can you tell?'
He said 'Ma it's easy, I can tell by the smell.

'It isn't the gas mains, we've just had them done,
It isn't the water, we haven't seen any run,
It isn't the chip shop, the door it is closed,
It must be from those chimneys, down at Monsanto's.'

The people of Cefn are as brave as can be,
They have smells with their dinner, they have smells with their tea,
But they'll put up with the smells, wherever they lurk,
Because if they pull down the chimneys, they won't have any work.