WRITING
The Shipyard Men
The shipyard men
in oily coats and jaunty caps
streamed through the gates
and into the pub.
Released from care,
till tomorrow,
all the days and years
of their lives – riveting, welding.
Dirty, dangerous work,
no safety rails
high up on the staging
in biting wind and storm.
The sons of the shipyard,
like their fathers
were artists
in steel.
They built great ships
and never sailed away.
Always stayed in
the shipyard town.
Walk the dock road
at night and listen,
listen, to the echo of
boots on cobbles.
Salute The Shipbuilders 2015
The Launch
Thirty thousand tons of steel.
Welded, hammered, forged
with mens lives
thunders into the sea.
Angled to hit the water and dip,
‘Hold your breath lads!'
She rights, and cuts through
the river like a knife.
Turning on the tide
to face the sea
that will carry her aloft
to foreign lands, adventure
She knows no fear
of storms yet to come.
For the bride of the sea,
the journey has just begun.
Video for The Launch