FROM THE HEART
by Rosemarie Tiffen
Essex is a county that many people mock
But how many come to see it
Then marvel at its beauty
Through Dedham, Wix and Stock
Essex is a county with horizons far and wide
With flowing rivers, fields of green
Open skies and lakes serene
Teeming life left by the Mersea tide
Essex is a county that Whitehall has decided
Is somewhere they can spoil
With concrete brick and stone
And our protests are derided
Essex is my county and I am proud to claim
It for myself and for my heirs
Unspoilt, peaceful and with a fight
It will remain the same
Essex is a county formed over London clay
Where walkers come to stride along
The scenic walks, the Essex way
Without the roar of aircraft, the taste of fuel dumped
Without a mass of concrete and buildings drab and grey
We all want to keep out county
As beautiful as today
So tear up that White Paper, re-think the transport plan
We don't need another runway across this pleasant land
If land is lost and homes destroyed to make your travel cheap
Measure the cost
Of what will be lost
Throw those plans upon the heap
