Wrong turn
Entering via the sea-lock
the seal knows nothing about
the Manchester Ship Canal. It knows
nothing about swing bridges bedded
in sandstone, and it certainly
knows nothing about boys standing
on towpaths. The same boys
who know nothing about the feel
of stones when an index finger hooks
around a top edge and a flat side is checked
by a thumb. They’ve never dropped one shoulder
before drawing back an arm. Or hurled
that arm forward to send a flat stone spinning.
They’ve never watched a stone skip… two three…
six seven… or felt the belly thrill of increased counting.
They only know one thing about stones.