Chewing Gum Wrapper

Pirate Treasure., originally uploaded by mithering.

Faded plenty and corroded some,
I saw the chewing gum wrapper,
I picked it up just like a bum,
Cruddy little, cruddy little, cruddy little thing;
Full of dirt and it was full of grit,
I saw the chewing gum wrapper;
But colors like that you can't git,
Cruddy little cruddy little cruddy little cruddy little.

Jonathan Richman's hymn to the aesthetic qualities of rubbish appeals to me greatly. Out in Heaton Park with The Kids on Saturday we happened upon this archaeological find. A fragment from a Walkers Crisps packet from the time after the clear window in the front had vanished, but before the advent of foil and the current logo. So when does that date it from? I should ask Paul Heaton, who I interviewed once, in his terraced house in Hull and, on hearing of my interest in 'trash' aesthetics, introduced me to his collection of crisp packets. All neatly flattened and placed in a convenient drawer; tactile evidence of ancient potato and maize-based commerce from around the globe. I wonder if he still has them?