My uncle Colin possessed great will power.
He waded through sewers to grow a blue flower.
He happily did this in his later years.
You might think his brain was stuck in lower gears.

But he did it all for this flower he was given.
It didn't like sunlight and it wouldn't live in
The basement with mushrooms because they were lowly.
The glasshouse tomatoes were far too unholy.

The only place that the blue flower would thrive
Was down in the sewer. To keep it alive
Colin spent hours in the sewer every day.
Its colour began as a dull bluish grey,

But it became vibrant, as blue as the sky.
The sight of it left Colin wondering why
Some people love to spend spare time outdoors
Walking for miles on the hills' grassy floors,

And others stay in. They sit and they stare
At TV banality until their armchair
Becomes one more under-used bodily part.
The only bit that hasn't stalled is the heart.

Colin was perfectly happy below
In sewers where his favourite flower would grow.
Its petals provided a blue sky on days
When threatening rain clouds blocked out the sun's rays.

And even on fine days the flower's sky was bluer.
Its scent overpowered the smell of the sewer.
Watching it growing was much more exciting
Than films where men wielding sabres start fighting.

Its pace was much slower than 'Die Hard' or 'Speed',
But its many plot turns required constant heed.
And it flowered into a beautiful ending,
A sight that would easily justify spending

So many hours in the sewers where rats
Were so big they'd often pretend to be cats
And fool nice old ladies whose eyesight was bad,
Who'd give the big rats all the cat food they had.

Each day Colin's shoes needed washing with hoses,
But he still believed that his life smelled of roses.
The blue flower made up for life's trials and its smell.
A small piece of heaven was brighter than hell.