I was waiting for a bus in front of a toy shop
In the pouring rain
The nearest window to me
Was celebrating television for children
In the Night Garden was prominent
And models of the characters
Were displayed in a colourful mock garden
Most were deeply uninteresting
But one appealed to me
As it was holding a red flag
A Communist perhaps
Or maybe a Socialist in exile
Its name was Iggle Piggle
Or so I was told by a passing hood
I stared at the creature through my wet glasses
But could not determine its gender or species
All I knew that during its life it had been terribly brave
And had been forced to go into exile in the Night Garden
My grandfather had fought in Spain
And my father in the last war
They were fighting the fascists
Who were threatening to take over the free world
I wondered if they had ever met Iggle Piggle
Before he was hunted down and forced into exile
It is said that the creature became disillusioned
In later years when the truth about the Soviet Union
Came to light and this was why he escaped from the Night Garden
In a small boat with only a naked light for company
He had been missing for many years but here he was
In front of me with his Creole companion nearby
I decided then to give Iggle Piggle a home
This decision caused me to miss my bus so I walked far
With the creature sleeping snugly in my winter coat pocket
He now resides with other heroes from that civil war
In a small cabinet that has commanding views
Over the park and the city beyond