Sharing Poetry 2.

We currently have eight members. We welcomed to our October meeting,Linda Savory who completes our group..

At our "free choice" meetings we share poems which have a special appeal for us. We also talk about the poets concerned, often with personal anecdotes featuring the reasons for our choice. On alternate months we share a theme, our next one "Dreams".

Twice a year members are invited to bring one of their own compositions.. At our October meeting there were three. The themes couldn`t have been more different and I think we were all surprised and delighted at what we heard.

Lucille Opie, well known in Bude U3A for her interest and untiring work on behalf of the Bude Canal Regeneration Project brought the following, a fascinating account in verse of the canal`s story - up to the present day.

"The Past, Present and Future of our Unique Bude Canal" .

Our Canal, unique as it is locked to the sea
Was opened in eighteen twenty three.
For two miles it meanders to the inclined plane,
A feat of engineering the Victorians rightly claim.
Navigable only to Marhamchurch today
There`s beauty and wildlife enough on display
For locals and visitors, and when time for leisure
Boating, fishing and walking give much pleasure.

Stand on the beach and watch the mighty Atlantic
Smash against the Breakwater, with waves gigantic.
It has mastered the sea for near two hundrd years
To give shelter to ships and calm mariners` fears
Admire the construction of the massive sea lock,
Watch the gates open that allow ships to dock.
Vessels can be admitted of forty tons or more
And have rudders as long as ten feet at their core.

Think of all those who had the vision to start,
Think of the men who, over years played their part.
Smeaton, Edyvean. Leach; - Fulton and Green too
Were the engineers responsible to name but a few.
Those men had the innovative engineering skills
Needed to open a waterway to the hills
With locks`n inclined planes of inspirational design
That would leave the sea level far behind.

Think also of the men who had to sweat and toil
To dig miles of trench and redistribute the soil.
Skilled workers were needed so navvies were sought
To work in gangs. Five hundred were brought.
They then had to construct and follow to a man
The drawings set down on the engineers` plan.
There were many problems and hold ups throughout
And several times, of its success there was some doubt.

Celebrations were held when the work was finished
Though the original vision to the Tamar had vanished.
Fertiliser to temper the acid soils was sought, so.
Sand, limestone and other goods were brought,
Loaded on barges and taken to Marhamchurch
Filled to the gunnels they would dangerously lurch.
A weight of five tons could be pulled by one horse
That could pull the barge with ease along the canal course.

At Hele wharf the cargo was transferred yet again
To tub boats with wheels to surmount the inclined plane.
From the top, the barges continued their journey
Thro` Virworthy, Sutcombe, Milton Dameral `n Thornb`ry.
When the railway came in eighteen ninety eight
The company closed, no more carrying of freight.
There was a slow decline for a hundred years,
Erosion had set in and great were the fears.

Many were conscious of its uniqueness and potential,
To regenerate and maintain was their duty and essential,
Not just for themselves and the rising tourist trade
But for future generations, efforts should be made!
Then enthusiasts and local supporters too
Met to discuss, to see what they could do.
North Cornwall District Council funding sought,
Three and a half million was enough - it was thought!

Has taken ten years (and more millions) but the end is in sight,
The future of the canal is looking very bright.
The workshops, the cobbles and the Barkhouse too
Fit together on the wharf like a well worn shoe.
The Interpretation room is progressing on the ground
And an education programme for students has been found.
The excellent Tourist Centre at the Crescent has details
Of organised walks along the prodigious canal trails.

Come, - meander to the marshes and dowse for dragonflies,
Find the flora `n fauna, birds and butterflies.
Watch the defiant ducks, and graceful, gliding swans
That nest among the reeds in what we call the pond!
As you wander t`wards Rodds Bridge you`ll find perfect peace,
The wonders of nature, they just never seem to cease.
To Hele wharf and beyond the canal has been enhanced,
You`ll be amazed, and keep pausing, to gaze - entranced.