Monet
WRITERS ISLAND JOURNALS inspired this poem.
A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.
When I was young
The River Thames was old.
It was murky,
Like some malevolent soup,
Flowing past the ornate buildings
And the fresh green parks.
We were warned about
The Thames.
We were advised
Not to fall in!
One gulp and we'd be dead!
As young lovers
We strolled along its banks.
It was opaque,
Secretive,
Malodorous.
Not that we minded.
We were in love.
When I was young
The London fog
Was legendary.
Thick, almost solid,
Pea-yellow
And sulphurous.
Policemen with torches
Loomed up out of the ghostly mist
To guide us home.
It hurt to breathe.
When it finally blew away
We were left with the yellow stain
On clothes and skin.
For weeks.
Not that we minded.
We were in love.
Now the young lovers walk
Beside almost pristine waters
And the mists
Are relatively light and gentle.
Surely the story of London
Gives hope for the future.
A future in which
The Earth itself
Will have healed.
A future in which
'Pollution'
Will be an archaic word.
Will have healed.
A future in which
'Pollution'
Will be an archaic word.
And the young lovers,
Who will know no better,
Wont even notice.
They will be in love.
