Bus to Town

Gold cherry

By catherine poarch

Thu, 12 Oct 2017
  • 5944 reads
18 comments
 

All the children in the puddles.

All the shining of the leaves.

All the cups stacked up and waiting.

All the coppers, all the thieves.

All the lights up at the Cricket,

Metal giants, one and all.

All the pigeons at the bakers.

All the apples on the stall.

All the smokers on the pavement.

All the bikes on Pig Sty Hill.

All the raindrops in the gutter

and the coffees in the till.

All the trains across the Arches,

disappearing out of sight.

All the sleepers in the doorways,

bagged and hidden since last night.

All the traffic round the Centre.

All the flapping of the coats.

All the padlocks on the Pero

and the stillness of the boats.

All the people by the dockside,

all the footpaths, all the ways.

If you found me, would you love me,

all the ordinary days?

Certificate U
Poem
Unclassified

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

I love the snappy rhythm!

 

Submitted by Ewan on

 just fine.
Best
Ewan

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Ewan on

poem with it's hypnotic repetition is carried off with elan and therefore is our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day. Why not share or retweet if you like it too?

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Catherine, loved this poem very much as there's so much I can relate to having lived in Bristol a good part of my young life. Especially loved those lines:-

All the bikes on Pig Sty Hill. And

All the people by the dockside, And

the stillness of the boats.

All the pigeons at the bakers.

All the apples on the stall, conjured up Bristol market just off corn street.

Deliciously memorable to me to read and very much enjoyed.

Thank you for sharing.

Jenny.

 

 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thanks to all of you. And thanks for the surprising and beautifully coloured cherries. Really appreciate you all reading it. I had meant to write 'if i found you' instead of 'if you found me' - but maybe I'll leave it as it is.

Jenny, if you are ever in Bristol - I'll buy you a coffee! smiley

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Trips along beautifully Catherine.

Looks like an AEC Regent Mk.III or thereabouts. (Strange subversive surfaces)

Parson Thru

Submitted by Stephen Thom on

Mirrors and conveys motion well... quite musical in its own way... Pretty final lines too, like a lyric... enjoyed, well done on the pick yes :)

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

It's so hard to maintain rhythm like that, and it's so well done here.  Interesting what you say about the last line, but it works well as it is.

Submitted by Ed Crane on

The bus is an AEC engined  RT class circa 1954 painted in London Transport "Greenline" livery. Looks like it's a renovated vehicle or a transport museum piece. 

 

Submitted by Ewan on

find a Bristol based bus picture of any kind.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_National_bus_353_(FTT_704),_2012_Bristol_Vintage_Bus_Group_open_day.jpg

 

Submitted by gletherby on

I love this Catherine. Gayle 

Submitted by celticman on

repetition works well, as it does in life. 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thanks to all the newer comments, I won't clog up your emails by replying to each one but I very much appreciate them. I've not been on here much for ages (work, aaaagh!!!) so hope you are all well. As for the picture - I didn't put it on and am no expert - but I was very happy to see the old Bristol green bus. I realised, Celticman, that I'd done more repetition than I meant - two doorways! That's what comes of rushing things. Never mind. You do pass a lot of doorways on a bus. Have a lovely weekend all of you.yes

 

Submitted by Steve on

Good poem.

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thanks very much, Steve, for going back and reading this. Much appreciated.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

This is great! I really enjoyed reading it and wished I'd thought of it myself. We don't appreciate how many interesting things there are around us to see, even on an ordinary day. 

Turlough

Submitted by catherine poarch on

That's so kind. Thank you! Top of the bus, on my day off, going into town or the city centre, feels like freedom to me. Happy New Year - hope it's a good one for you! smiley