Where I once lived the railway station

Unless my nostrils were mistaken

On Mondays smelt of smoky bacon

To blight my work-bound transportation

Passengers sniffing in dismay

Subjected to the strange bouquet

Of cheese and onion on Tuesday

Screamed ‘let’s depart without delay!’

Showing my ticket, I’d start to worry

Train doors slammed shut in such a hurry

Just a tad more fragrant than pig slurry

The Wednesday whiff of industrial curry

Each day a trauma more severe

Commuters’ minds all wracked with fear

Thursday’s lethal souvenir

Was a ketchup loaded atmosphere

On Fridays it came as no surprise

Bringing misery to the nose and eyes

The weekly bad aroma prize

Went to the evil stench of Scampi Fries

On the Harrogate to Knaresborough line

Beware the Starbeck station sign

A place deservedly much maligned

‘Cause its smell’s disgusting every time

Not far beyond the railway tracks

A plant performed most heinous acts

Producing chemicals in sacks

To flavour our potato snacks

A place that’s smelt but never seen

Clothing’s tainted, no longer clean

So folks will always know you’ve been

Near this deadly seasoning stink machine

Photograph: This is how I imagined (because I had never seen it) the food flavouring factory in Starbeck in North Yorkshire would look. But really this is the Port of Gdańsk in Poland.