Painting - the Spa Bridge



Yesterday


yesterday I was in the harbour, 
Scarborough, on the jetty eating 
chips among the brick fish gutting
sheds which are recently refurbished
and now occupied by galleries with
artists selling art of local scenes  
and I was looking at a painting
all lumpy in acrylic of the Spa 
Bridge black in silhouette in front 
of pale blue sky and turquoise 
crashing waves , white foam

That’s from the Gala cafe, I said
which is perhaps my favourite place
In the whole world , but these days
Open at the weekends only, out of 
season, also shut today because of 
Halloween although it’s Sunday
Which is a shame I said as I was
Looking forward to their sponge
Cake - or would I go for gateau ?
it is always difficult to chose as
All their cakes are great they 
Bake them on the premises
And through the window you can
See the storms that blow across
from Belgium or the sands
That stretch out back for miles
Reflecting rainclouds in the wet
Depending on the weather
And the tide. I love it .
It’s not exactly from the Gala
He replied it’s really
Slightly further up the road
Outside the Rotunda maybe
But to tell the truth it’s more 
the composition I was going for 
I may have stretched the truth
A bit. I really love the painting
I said and the area thereabouts is
Really special somehow . I write
Poems and a whole load of them are
located more or less right there.
Between the Valley Bridge and the
Rotunda; the Spa Bridge and the sea
I am travelling with just a backpack
so not shopping, I’m just looking
Besides it looks so right here
hanging just above your door
Among the gulls and cricket
Scenes, I’ll leave my email
please do let me know
If you ever make a print
Of it. Just one thing what is
That black blob in the sky
No - to the left - to the left
Of the gulls - it looks like it’s 
Hovering above the bridge

Oh yes - the tardis he replied
You spotted it not all folks do
The thing was in a gallery for 
Years and not a body asked
so there you are well I said its
Hard to miss - black and square
Against the clouds but being
Silhouetted as it is , it could
Be anything you wouldn’t
rightly know but then among
The figures walking on the bridge
I spotted one whose silhouette
was not unlike a litter bin that 
someone put a drain unblocker in
And suddenly it all made sense


A.G. 04/11/2019