Tuesday, September 03, 2002
Poetic offering
posted by John Davies at 6:17 PM
The Today Programme got me onto this. It's 200 years to the day since William Wordsworth penned his sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge: "It's a celebration of the wealth, power and beauty of London, a city that looks significantly different now." I couldnÕt resist the occasion to offer my own revision:
Composed Upon Runcorn Bridge Sept 3, 2002 by John Davies (1962 -)
Earth shows nothing more fair than this -
if youÕve never ventured further from here that is -
Once youÕre through Queensferry youÕre into the hills of Wales
and this view doesnÕt compare.
These smokestacks wear their flashlights like
The beauty of the evening; silent spots
Scattered up and down the chemical towers
Open to the grey fields, and to the industrial sky;
All bright and glittering in the rancid air.
The sun looks splendid from here, though,
Setting across the Mersey Basin.
Ignoring the heavy goods vehicles, it is a place of calm
The river is slow and wide here: and lovely.
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
EveryoneÕs inside watching Eastenders.
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john davies
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