Part One

What I like about Liverpool is

walking up Park Road 4am.

hearing lark singing,

mid-February thinking

of Spring.

Seeing a ghost see a ghost,

see Chaplin seeing Kerouac,

seeing Dickens see Jung,

see Lennon, Brando and Presley

from a Paradise Street pub get flung.

I like the Old Hall Street

rain,

the soft Saturday afternoon

special summer holiday edition

weather and traffic information

rain.

I like Vauxhall Road's winter razor wind,

all the Granby Street Wunderkind,

going away and coming back

on the next

train.

The city is a Radio.

The city is an Echo.

The city is red sun on red brick

on yellow days,

the City is black rain on black rock on blue nights.

The City is a magnolia tree

in Sefton Park,

and Chinatown Neonlites just after dark.

The city is a woman on Bold Street and you want to

hold her breath.

The city is oceanirishmersey air

she's there again and you stare

to see her standing there,

sorry to digress

but you should have seen her in that dress.

I like the light on the Mersey

from Beresford Road,

light on the Mersey

at Otterspool,

light at the top of the hill

and light at the bottom

by the School.

(Quote: – ‘Liverpool and Venice have a relationship in their shared wondrous quality of Light and Water.’ G. Melly, 1973.)

Later on,

on my bike,

on the way to the Library

and I'm thinking about

George Melly

lecturing at Hope Street in 1973

when I was a different me.

What was it now… something

about Liverpool and Venice

and a geographical quirk

of the light.

making both places

particularly atmospheric

even at night.

The factor of water is involved

I reflect

But my reverie is dissolved,

When on my nose

a spot of rain

I detect.

From this daydreaming I must

refrain, this isn't the Piazza San Marco,

Even if the effect of watery light is the same as behind Tesco.

I'll get my head together

and disregard this wet weather.

Well, at least I'lm on my bike

and saving shoe leather

or at least I was until later,

much later actually, much later, in fact, that night.