By Emily Rose Galvin-Wilson
Waterlogged and loaded,
the creases of his wrinkling eyes folded up and in
like narrowboat boards left too long in a pruning sun.
We watched his pottery hands for hours –
curling narrow channels of paper around filter tips,
resting the ringmark of a can on the pavement
to adjust his brim against the glare -
every sun-worn line of his palm
a chiromancer’s dream. A Staffordshire chart
of waterways embedding themselves in a soft boat body
as he caressed her in conversation.
A laugh like the echo of tunnels:
What are the canals to us? –
his loop and lock ground through with heritage –
they’re living the dream, came his reply.
And weren’t we all then?
August warmed, canal-bathed, stretched long in thought
from Bridewater to Derwent,
and so altogether and at once at home.
Written following a Roaming Poets workshop at Etruria Canals Festival, Stoke Lock No.39 looks at a given theme of ‘Paradise’ through some of the experiences and narratives of the museum visitors and local residents. Focusing in on a single encounter with the owner of a moored canal boat, the piece uses found language from conversations throughout the day to encapsulate the overwhelming sentiment of local pride and contentment that was apparent within each interaction.
Emily Galvin-Wilson was the first female Staffordshire Poet Laureate (2017-2019) and first Poet in Residence for Lichfield Library (2019-2021). Her work predominantly aims to explore what it is to be human – through the connections between people, their emotions and identities, and the way in which they fit into the world around them on a personal and interpersonal level.
Emily has produced commissioned poems for The National Trust, BBC Radio, Staffordshire County Council, and Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. She has worked closely with organisations such as Lichfield Cathedral, World of Wedgwood, and Middleport Pottery in curating poetry events and workshops. Her first poetry collection was published with Verve Poetry Press in 2021.
Find Emily here:
Instagram: @by.emily.rose
Website: Verve Poetry Press
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