Friday, March 25, 2005

Losing Track


I’m composing a note
With a heavy pen
An empty station glides by
Stockport
A sprawl of factories
Suspended in the middle distance
And then canals
Pylons, B&Q, motorways bend
Back lit by a low-slung blazing sun
A confetti of silver birch trees
An empty sky
Saves a vapour trail for later
The Virgin train
Trundles through Heaton Chapel
Rib of chatter
Spotlights in near empty carriage
Park and dogs
Littered track
Houses tucked beneath the bank
Young lad heads for home
In kit with low-slung black bag
Bright red bin with silver graffiti
Houses
Tired shops
Not so pretty lives
Leavenshulme
We slow and slide into the station
I stare
At the blank page

14 comments:

Roger Stevens said...

It feels good now the children’s done and dusted. I can forget about it for a while. I’m full of doubts about it, though. Now I’m reworking a verse novel that I wrote a couple of years ago. I’m quite excited about it – had a few new ideas. More of that anon.

It’s a gorgeous day. The sun is beaming down. Spent a few hours in the garden. Mowed the back lawn, tidied some of the flower beds.

The roast chicken’s in the oven. England under 21 soccer on TV this evening. Tomorrow’s the big one. England’s first game in the World Cup qualifiers.

Spring is here. Happy Easter everyone!

Roger Stevens said...

I meant to say - now the children's story is done and dusted... I haven't dusted the children.

Hey ho!

Ed Giecek said...

You really should dust those children now and again. They like the attention.

Ostrich said...

Happy Easter Roger. May you find a Belgian chocolate egg under your pillow.

Your poem felt like a real train ride and i saw what you saw.

Wastedpapiers said...

I know that feeling of going into manchester by train - its very depressing.

Roger Stevens said...

When I wrote the poem they were re-modelling Picadilly, Manchester station. What a mess that was.

I think I'll take the last line off the poem. Not sure it works.

You're right, Ed. And they are getting a bit dusty.

An Easter egg under my pillow? Yummy yum. If you could arrange that, Ostrich... Would it be an ostrich egg I wonder?

Roger Stevens said...

There! I've amended the end. That's better I think.

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

If you use a damp cloth it saves you having to dust them too often

amiethinggoes said...

dusting the children...what a funny pic that'll make :P

Happy Easter Roger!

Russell CJ Duffy said...

Dear Roger,

I say is this "dusting of children" a commercial venture? If so then please let me know the rates as I have four (varying ages and genders) children all of whom could do with a bloody good dusting. They are clean and house trained but seem to have no taste in music and I fancy a bit of dusting might be a cure or the tonic that they need.

I await your earliest response.

Your humble serpent,

Cocaine Jesus

{illyria} said...

the blank page holds a lot of power. that world of possibility, you know?

Russell CJ Duffy said...

Ah, but the blank pages have a violence of numbers that raise their form like hieroglyphs in an absence of white. 22,20,14 & 13. The damage done.

Roger Stevens said...

I don't know about you - but I've been having a challenge with this blog. It wouldn't let me post a comment on my own blog! Or put up a new post. Maybe it's working again now. Or maybe this is just an illusion. Either way...

Hi, CJ. I did consider setting up Dust-a-Kid as a commercial concern but in the end decided against it. I just don't have the time. Poems to write... coffees to drink... you know.

I tried posting up a blank page, too. But it wouldn't even let me do that.

Russell CJ Duffy said...

Blogging at the moment is like walking through molasses. Yucky. Trying to write my own stuff and can't.