Cars crouch aline in damp gutters
Sniffing each other like suspicious dogs.
The road bends and half hides
A backdrop of red brick
Flattened to a grey sky like cardboard.
No movement, though traffic sounds unseen
Beneath the open window,
Chimney-pots are stark and squat
Above blotched trees, blank roofs,
Their sooted colours and strange shapes
Dark and unfamiliar.
Beyond, not quite the pinnacle of view,
A tapered blade cuts the sky,
The church spire, jabbing a vague cross
In a drab world of part-light,
Aching for a sunset to flare,
And flaunt some lustre
On this dull, forgotten air.
Refer to: Apr 2020 – Sermons in stones
Very powerful imagery transforms quite unpropitious surroundings into something remarkable. A fine example of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.