That Bridge

It’s bugging me…
That Bridge
Popping up when least expected
Appearing in the middle of my day
Or in last night’s dream
A monolith of brick and iron
On the edge of concious thought
Challenging, Urging,
Daring me to cross it
Asking if I’m ready for
The other side…

That bridge…
How I damn it as it damns me
Ever present in my thoughts
A well of gravity trying,
Pulling, me in
A shadow crossing my path
A path that
I have yet to walk
Who says you must pay the ferryman?
When there’s
That Bridge…

Martin Addison – 07/03/2013

23 responses to “That Bridge”

blastedgoat

March 7, 2013 at 10:41 pm

Amazing words I really enjoyed this. I needed some good lines today 🙂

Reply
1. Martin
  
  March 8, 2013 at 6:57 am
  
  Thank you Mandy. I hope you are able to draw inspiration 🙂
  
  Reply
nrhatch

March 8, 2013 at 6:07 pm

Terrific poem . . . especially paired with that pic. Well done.

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 8, 2013 at 10:15 pm
  
  Thank you Nancy 🙂
  
  Reply
kateshrewsday

March 8, 2013 at 8:45 pm

What a great poem, and teamed with that most distinctive of bridges, Martin. I really enjoyed this!

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 8, 2013 at 10:18 pm
  
  Thanks Kate 🙂
  
  Reply
gerald

March 9, 2013 at 11:37 pm

lovely irony

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 10, 2013 at 8:57 am
  
  Hi Gerald – the irony of course is that the bridge will appear on Geograph in a very different guise (though I am tempted to submit this b&w too!) 😉
  
  Reply
Touch2Touch

March 10, 2013 at 1:40 am

Dunno if Charon the ferryman was on your mind when you wrote the poem and paired it with That Bridge — but he certainly was on mine!

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 10, 2013 at 9:11 am
  
  Hi Judith, thanks for commenting 🙂 The photo of the bridge came first – it’s over the railway line between Gospel Oak and Upper Holloway. Every time I passed under it I was thinking ‘must visit and see if I can get decent shots of some freight trains’. So that’s where the ‘bugging’ bit came from. Add in the grey wet weather and the poem grew out of the brooding presence of the bridge when seen from this angle. Yes, ‘the other side’ does speak of death and the ferryman of ancient legend so he did get referenced 🙂 In the real world the bridge connects Ingestre Road with Churchill Road within the Gospel Oak area of London – you’ll be able to find it on Bing’s birds eye view 😉
  
  Reply
spilledinkguy

March 11, 2013 at 6:14 pm

Great stuff, Martin! Each is impressive on their own, but they work so well together!
I really like the contrasty processing in your photograph, too – so fitting of the subject matter (of both pieces)!
🙂

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 11, 2013 at 7:56 pm
  
  Thanks Bob 🙂 I do like to whack up the contrast in my black & white images where I’m trying to do something a little arty 😉
  
  Reply
Island Traveler

March 12, 2013 at 8:10 am

Stunning poetry to go with an equally stunning and beautiful photo. Life’s journey to present us with similar bridges. How we cross those bridges makes a difference.

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1. 2e0mca
  
  March 12, 2013 at 11:57 am
  
  It certainly does! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
  
  Reply
Patti Kuche

March 12, 2013 at 11:13 pm

I love your B & W’s Martin and this has so many striking features, and such strength!

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 13, 2013 at 8:27 am
  
  Thank you Patti – When doing B&W I usually have an agenda in mind and the processing is taylored around that. The main secret here was the overcast light and the steady rain. I think too many photographers put their cameras away when it’s raining – they miss so many opportunities.
  
  Reply
Tony McGurk

March 14, 2013 at 12:12 am

That’s a steep set of stairs. Good for an aerobic workout

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 14, 2013 at 11:49 am
  
  LoL – I certainly didn’t hurry up them, mainly because the treads are loose and they were slippery in the rain 😉
  
  Reply
Arindam

March 15, 2013 at 1:57 pm

You are a poet. Your words went so perfectly with this beautiful picture. I loved the last stanza a lot. Great imagination!! 🙂

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 15, 2013 at 6:42 pm
  
  Thank you very much Arindam 🙂 The subject and the weather combined to stir the imagination when I was processing the image.
  
  Reply
Beauty Along the Road

March 26, 2013 at 10:26 pm

One may not have to pay the ferryman, but it appears that the Bridge itself is demanding its tribute!

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  March 27, 2013 at 7:54 am
  
  LoL – yes it does look a bit mean doesn’t it 😉
  
  Reply
Bridges and Ferries—CFFC

May 5, 2025 at 8:00 pm

[…] 1870 and at the time I took the photo was weight restricted due to its age and condition. Wrote a poem about it once. It has since had the wrought-iron girder sections replaced with modern steel sections – […]

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