An Ode to Narrow Boating

I sit in our boat in the front - sorry; bows
And the world drifts lazily by.
I paint roses and castles on things
While I ponder on how, where and why.

He sits on our boat at the back - sorry; stern
Steering a course with the tiller.
He plans his maintenance jobs
Like what hole he can fill with some filler.

As we potter along on the water - sorry; river
We live life at a different pace
People run past on the towpath
There's no way we could win such a race.

At night by the towpath we park - sorry; moor
And we close all the curtains and sing
As we sit by the pot bellied stove
We wouldn't exchange with a king.

Jane Rice-Oxley

back to contents page