My love affair with Yorkshire,

is strange to the extreme,

the rain comes down in stair rods,

as puddles turn to streams.

Flint faced buildings stand proud,

the natives just the same;

hard with a directness,

reflecting poverty’s pain.

‘Aye up love’, and ‘Ta duck’,

a mantra of the North,

a warmth and loyal passion,

found around the hearth.

Depleted coal face scenery,