The Liverpool-Belfast Ferry

1976

A black sea ; lights made redundant by distance ;

the smell of diesel from the lower decks ; metal vibrating

as chains leave cold water.

Leaving ; arriving ; it`s all the same.

Trapped over the night waves stars loop anyway.

A stinking intruder full of beer, piss and salt - 

faces washed-out and corpse-like on warm plastic.

Stretched between two pools a lost ship

between Scylla and Charybdis ; the carrying of the homeless.

Waiting for the hydraulics and the first new lights,

half in the night.And half in the dawn. 

Reviews

[SoulCrusader (Yas)]

What you can write about is amazing... and how u do it is too...

talented writing :)

[Dan Kim]

I can imagine the crack of dawn and how peacefully discordant the setting is.

The watery metropolitan ways are well designed here!

[Ken Simm.]

Knowing both cities well I cannot help but agree with description. Having made that journey both physically some time ago and metaphorically many times I cannot help but see the way.

[Droll Prole]

Love that you describe sound as well as image, it is something I always forget to do. There are so many layers and depth to this for such a short poem, it is really something.

[Eric Cox]

Excellent imagery creating a cool piece. Nice pen upon this.

[Valentine]

Just where are they taking the homeless..don't they have help for them on shore

[Circe]

Exquisitely portrayed.... has such texture in the impressions.. captivating with your keen poetic vision.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

A lovely melancholy piece and beautifully written Leslie in descriptive words that let you see and smell and feel the scene as the ferry leaves post