The Big Wheel
I took a ride on a big wheel to mark a significant moment. Whilst I was there I contemplated the why's, where's,who's, how's, when's and what's.
A typical day out for a poet.
I took a ride upon a ferris wheelTo take in the pleasant viewThere is usually a reasonBehind the things I do That day it was windy A consideration when up highNot the best day admittedly To be swinging in the sky Contained within a carriageWith transparent perspex wallsTrapped inside an empty fishtankSafe from nasty falls The attendant waiting patientlyIn the way attendants do Mums attending to their little ones Before the next family comes through Whilst fathers rock the carriageInjecting tension to the ride Scaring those less confidentSome were petrified We were off, carriages risingRight up to the topAs new families joined the queueThe ferris wheel would stop To pause there at the highest point Was the best bit of it for meTaking in the impressive view Every towerblock and tree The scenery much greener Than I'd imagine it to be A place to get perspective Up there my mind was free Still contained inside a carriageHigh up in the skyNot the same or as impressiveAs the famous London Eye But high enough to be detatchedFrom down there on the groundUp there I could contemplate This peaceful space that I had found This day marked a moment Significant to meA place in time within my mind Where I felt compelled to be Silent, still contentmentNot all that often foundWhen in more familiar spaces Down there on the ground We're all sat on a ferris wheel In a metaphorical wayThe earth is always spinning round In its usual way Harnessed and surroundedBy a transparent atmosphereThe defence which guards from outerspaceAnd the furthest stars from here Constantly we're spinning Beyond arrival, we departWe're all on this mighty cycle And then returning to the start Stationary for a moment And continue once againTo the next destinationDon't know where don't know when Don't know why, don't howDon't know who, even whatBut there is one guaranteeWe will see a lot We rise so high and fall so low Forever life is thusThe day we all stop spinningWill be the end for us