Start seated on the edge of the canal in a nook of stone and I can reach the water
Again it is warm
full of warmth
I make ripples and splashes
on the surfaxe
gentle disturbance
Water runs up my arms to my elbows
rivers
arteries
flowing veins
canals
The stone steps have metal
railings, so
great to balance with
and swing from
Taking the fullness of my substance
Along the tow path
brambles
plants taller than me
hawthorn that I nuzzle into
and stingy nettles
that nip my ankles
Cheery people saying hello
Unperturbed
Accepting this moving
body and the gorgeous
gaggle of followers
and witnesses
Poles to swing around
Lots of nooks to ripple the water from
Tales of the Canal Bank
(who remembers Tales of the River Bank?)
A big line of kids
Instructed to walk in single file
First day back at school
Hannan’s work sounds under the bridge
Deep and rumbly
and visceral
I feel like I’m moving with and
as the inside of the canal
Ducks sleep on a platform on the water
Do not disturb
Bikes, so many bikes,
change the air as they cycle past
Every one an impulse in the body
Suspending time
upending time
A boy fishing after school
(his first day at Tynecastle High and he liked it)
He confirms that yes, there are
10ft Pike in the canal
Thinking today
of the joy of
open-ended time and of slow time
and the politics of that
in an era dominated by:
programming
ticketing
commodifying
stripping us of agency and
chance encounters
Let’s keep our public spaces free of the market place
not Brittle
not Rigid
not Fixed
NEXT: Thursday 18th August 2022
6pm Start and Bridge 3
Near Ashley Terrace ans Ashley Drive