William Blake (1757-1827), A Squatted Devil with Young Horns, ca. 1810.
Driving at speed in your insulated box Feeling the pressure of time, your obsession with clocks Now who are these people who get in your way? It’s those lyrca-clad pedalers out for the day.
Why do they wobble so, in and out? What are they pointing at, and why do they shout? They should stay in the gutter, where they belong The road is for you, the fast, the strong.
Let’s get even closer, let’s watch them run Much less than one metre is much more fun Press hard on that horn and watch them start Then laugh out loud, as their group falls apart.Continue reading →
I’m the bridge of two rivers
The Severn and Wye
I’m seen from a distance
My two towers in the sky.
I’m the bridge of two countries
England and Wales
Offering a gateway
To many new trails.
I’m the bridge of two pathways
For feet and pedaled wheel
Most know only of one
From England right they peel.
Old Severn Bridge, cycle and walkway
I’m the bridge with two views
Not enjoyed from the M48
But you who can stop
Please do contemplate.
Animated panorama from the Old Severn Bridge viewed down the estuary towards the new Severn Crossing, Severn Beach, and Avonmouth.
A moment of reflection on the old Severn Crossing viewed up the estuary towards Berkeley. The decommissioned Oldbury Nuclear Power Station is visible in the distance.
I’m the bridge of bygone fission
Easily visible as you ride
Oldbury Nuclear Station
Lying just beneath one side.
Oldbury Nuclear Power Station (decommissioned 2012)
I’m the bridge of destinations
For pedalers to explore
Chepstow as a first stop
Right through Wales’ door.
I’m the bridge to border country
Wales and England you can weave
A glorious descent of Wye Valley
Comes before Brockweir heave.
Descending the Wye Valley on the A466 towards Tintern.
Tintern Abbey
Brockweir Bridge crossing from Wales to England near Tintern
Brockweir Village Shop & Cafe at about a third of the way up a steep long hill
Old Wye Bridge, Chepstow Attribution: Andy Dolman [CC-BY-SA 2.0]I’m the bridge of many moods
I can be sunny, calm and serene
But given my position
My fogs and winds are mean.
I’m the bridge with two gates
One in England, one in Wales
Don’t get trapped on the ‘wrong’ side
Because they can be shut in gales.
Old Severn Crossing automatic gate
I’m the bridge with listed status
Whose cables were feeling pain
So now my younger sibling
Relieves me of some strain.
I’m the bridge of two bridges
The Severn and the Wye
But most think we’re one
So invisible is our tie.
An animated panorama viewed from the Old Severn Bridge up the estuary towards the decommissioned Oldbury nuclear power station.
Now in any space or event
Big Brother can watch you vent
Whether you’re inside, or outdoor
There’s no hiding place any more
Meteor strike or plane crash
All now captured from the dash
And if you cause some offence
Big Brother has the evidence
A fleeting moment of no constraint
But a lifetime to feel the taint
Your unwilling spot as YouTube star
Shows the world you went too far
The virtual mob smelt the blood
A comment trickle became a flood
A social position once enjoyed
Social media forever destroyed
Ninety Eighty Four has passed
Dystopian fiction it was classed
Big Brother defined what was true
Now Big Brother, is me and you.
