They ripped out his landline, then removed his boiler,
his car (not electric), his records and CDs (plastic),
his books (needed for pulping — or now banned).

No banks, no cheques, no cash;
no meat, no fish, no dairy,
nothing with sugar.

No pub, no church, no baker,
no library, no theatre.
Shops? Online only, or click-and-collect.
No business can afford to run trains and buses.

Who’s his GP? Is there such a person?
Nearest health centre’s in another county.
Anyhow, it’s online appointments only.
Don’t bother ringing for an ambulance,
and if there’s an outage, the mobile won’t work.

Power’s off again: renewable sun and wind
taking industrial action. Coal, gas and nuclear long gone.
His home about to be condemned — not energy efficient.

And yet as he shivers and lights a candle,
he has a warm feeling:
though global climate change accelerates ever faster,
this parish has declared it’s At Net Zero.

It won’t be long now, he knows how it will be:
limping across a carpark, crushed under a silently reversing EV.