Down Pigsty Hill

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By catherine poarch

Thu, 27 Oct 2022
  • 2131 reads
22 comments
 

I love the bus that rolls down Pigsty Hill

and sees the city fish-eyed, from the top.

Past every crack on every windowsill,

it chunters slowly to the slopey stop

and on they get. A shepherd with his sheep.

A wise man, with a pocketful of gold.

The unknown soldier, stretching from her sleep.

Apocalyptic horsemen, growing old.

And all the way down Gloucester Rd, they tell

long stories, made of fire, love and dust,

until they hear the pressing of the bell

and get off at the Centre, as they must.

Forgetting all the days they could not fill,

they love the bus that rolls down Pigsty Hill.

Certificate U
Poem
Unclassified

Comments

Submitted by celticman on

Quite a journey. We being in Pigsty Hll and end there. 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you Celticman. One of my favourite places, Pigsty!

 

And thanks to the editors for the cherries, really appreciated.

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

to like in this piece :)

Enjoyed

Lena x

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you, Lena. Really kind of you.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Catherine,

I've been down Pigsty Hill many a time in the past, and Gloucester Road was one of my favourite hangouts back in the 1970s. Went swimming at the baths and loved the shops so much.

Your descriptions in this poem were great to read.

Jenny. 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Jenny, I'd forgotten you'd once lived in Bristol. The swimming baths isn't a baths any more - been converted but not quite sure what into. Thanks so much for your comment and for reading. smiley

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

LOVED this! "Slopey stop" is perfect, and all the wonderful passengers with their powerful stories, then the incongruity of the "Centre". And through it all your incomparable rhythm and rhyme

should it be "until they hear the pressing of the bell"? I really liked your mention of the bell, too as it is a part of all bus journeys, even ones not so amazingly magical as this :0)

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Di, thank you - I just can't proof read. I'll add the missing 'y'. Where do all the missing letters go? Maybe they're like out of work actors or subs on the football bench. And thanks so much for your lovely comment as always. Really appreciate it.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

maybe they are hiding out till there are enough to start their own language

 

Submitted by Ewan on

"Fire, love and dust". Quite.

Congratulations, this is our FB and Twitter Pick of the Day.

Please retweet and/or share if you do the social media thing, dear members.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you, Ewan. That took me by surprise. Thank you very much.

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Brilliant - thank you for taking me to a place I've never visited - there's nothing like a bus journey for inspiration is there! Let's hope they keep on funding them (they're dying a slow death here and it's very sad). Congratulations on the golden cherries!

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you for the lovely comment. Yes, as a non-driver it's all walking and bussing for me. And you're right, they're being cut and the sneakies are saying the bus fares have gone down while at the same time abolishing the three-stop hop!! Passengers will have to go on strike.

 

Submitted by TJW on

The unknown soldier stretching from her sleep. 

     The Soldier being female caught me off guard. Don't know why, just did. I know there are female Soldiers, have encountered many many many, anyway, the memorial here is the Tomb of the Unknowns, one from WWI, WWII and Vietnam, if I remember right.  There was a battle over always capitalizing Marine but not soldier, sailor or airman.  The Marines lost that battle, at least in military journals, now each service is capitalized. Much obliged for the read. Chunters, good word.

V/R 

TJ

 

 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you TJW. I remember being surprised that the unknown soldier was an actual (unidentified) person. I had thought it was just a concept attached to a tomb. Interesting about the capitlising you mentioned and what was thought to be more important. Thank you.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I wondered if it was that no one on the bus knew, from looking at her, that the lady had been a soldier? Like the old lady on the news who had been a really brave double agent and no one round her had known?

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

I would love to be a really brave double agent! Maybe I actually am and am so good at it that I've confused myself. But as we're in the middle of the women's rugby world cup I'm going to think that the soldier was not having to be a secret warrior but could tackle any of the men and win. It sounds fun though. I'll try it next time I'm on the bus. (double agenting, not tackling) smiley

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

I would love to be a really brave double agent! Maybe I actually am and am so good at it that I've confused myself. But as we're in the middle of the women's rugby world cup I'm going to think that the soldier didn't have to be a secret warrior but could tackle any of the men and win. It sounds fun though. I'll try it next time I'm on the bus. (double agenting, not tackling) smiley

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Poem of the Week - Congratulations!

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Insert, thank you very much! That's a surprise but am very flattered.

Thanks for finding a photo too. Just an ordinary place, really, a place between places. Still magic.

Have a lovely weekend! smiley

 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Honours for the photo go to Ewan who found it!