Departures

I have often stood bemused

across the river from fabled Pocahontas’ grave,

once Defoe country, his brickworks and Crusoe,

a place you don’t name

for fear of ridicule,

now a murk-rippled Thames’ scummy shoreline. 

Arriving seagulls shriek in derision;

dingy dredgers dawdle like shifty tramps;

lumpen container ships insult the humbled port;

cranes droop and rust, rail tracks disappear

under shabby weeds -

the only life reclaiming this stretch of river.

A lone angler stares at the unyielding water,

scant hope in a desolate place.    

Behind me a whiteboarded pub,

‘The World’s End’,

named by a jester

as though this miserable river front

could ever match Finis Terrae.

Yet in some ways it does. 

It is the crumbling jetty,

the visible vestige, of our old world -  

tall ships,

clippers, cutters and coasters,

purveyors of empire and

ten pound liners heading out

to Australia. 

Departures with no landmark,

no Three Graces or torch bearing statue,

no nostalgic image to hold dear.

Just a dismissive wave of a hand.

.

Author's Note

The Three Graces are the three buildings that make up the famous landmark that is the Liverpool river front.

Reviews

[alanwgraham]

Well done Gerald. This is a very well observed and described poem of how our world is in change. You have caught the run down and depressing nature of the docks perfectly. Things that were constant for many years are now in constant flux. Coincidentally I was brought up in the village of Lower Largo which was the birthplace of the real life Crusoe. Somehow we were always aware of his adventures but now there are questions about how PC the story is. It seems likely with the gathering pace of climate change that our world will change faster than ever. The recent addition of a grandson to the family helps to focus our minds on the impending changes. I wonder how his poem to things past might read.
All the best, Alan

[Gerald Parker]

I'm pleased this poem worked for you, Alan. Thanks for commenting. It's good to receive feedback. You mention your grandson and your concerns for the future. We have four grandchildren and one of our worries is that two live in Spain and wish to be allowed to live and work there. The other concern, of course, is climate change. We have been watching David Attenborough's new series which unquestionably refutes the deniers.
Best wishes, Gerald