York

Affluent city, bustling with bodies

And buildings but some have none; no money,

No home, no help, no rich to reach out to

People too busy to notice the poor

Numbing, biting snow coats the whole area

Frost glistening at the top of towers

Up, up high where the only warmth remains

Besides the homes and work places

But the people sat in boxes and shop doors

Hypothermia hangs in the air

Alongside the sound of laughter

Radiating from the theatre royal

Coppergate covered in umbrellas

Protecting the shoppers and their wallets

Meanwhile hands glued together, praying

Desperate and distressed, how much longer?

Gemma Ruth Kerry, 15,

Manorfield Road, Driffield