The River Irwell

So...did old Lowry sit beside the fluss?
and did he think I'll paint that lot one day?
or did he only see the children run
 barefoot across the stinking bank
toward their Salford homes
to pray for hotpot on the stove.

Did Lowry hear about the one who'd had enough
when times were thin and thinness was in vogue?
who sank into the mud and stayed in it
between the empty prams and beery glass?
is that the reason Lowry stayed so long
when he had reasons of his own to up and go?.

They called his people... matchsticks...that they were
such skinny children, all of them unknown.
they've planted trees now where there once were weeds
and the river's rancid  smells are sanitised.
proud Irwell once the Roman's northern fort
now has the cache of Lowry's tender daubs.

L.S.Lowry the painter lived in Salford near the Irwell River.
Today we took our granddaughter to see the art in The Whitworth Gallery, and passed by the River now all clean and pretty , My friend grew up within the shadow of the factory buildings that Lowry painted and knew the scenes as home.
Much of Lowry's work now hangs in The Lowry Gallery on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal

This is for Magpie Tales 116

                                                                   and Poetry Pantry 99

I'm also adding this in to this week's poetry pub for dVerse.week 43...what fun!

The Bore.

What a good name !
It certainly isn't boring if you are there as it happens.
Most people in England know of the Avon Bore.
But there is a Bore in south Cumbria on the River Kent .
We often go to Arnside, on the south bank of the river,

We have a cuppa in the little wooden tea rooms along the bank and up a hill to the left.
Then sit and wait and hope, like children listening for sleigh bells on Christmas Eve.

 If our timing is right, we will hear the "bore" as the tide streams in past the town at a narrow part of the river. It sounds like a train coming closer...really loud... and the first time is so uncanny as to make you think that the train is coming up the river! 
Sadly we were out of luck, but the tea was worth it and the piece of almond and lemon cake almost made up for the disappointment.

Today we took the bikes and peddled down to the Mersey, about a mile as the crow flies.

Not many crows there ...mainly seagulls and other water fowl!
We sat at the wooden tables, gazing out over the river and ate sandwiches...they don't serve food...and drank  Guinness.

Suddenly...there was a roar coming  from the west.
A Bore!
I couldn't believe my ears and I jumped up knocking over drinks and crisps !

From being a trickle of water in the river, it very quickly filled up to the level of the rushes and sedges on the opposite side to us.

I've lived around here for 40 years and I never knew that we had our own local Mersey Bore! 
Well that's not completely true...actually I've known quite a few...but none as exciting as this one!