Mirror Poem Travels Two Mountain Ranges Railways

Marc Latham’s latest Folding Mirror poem was inspired by train journeys on the trans-Pennine and traws-Cambrian railway lines.

Pennines and Cambrian Mountains

They traverse a couple of mountain ranges either side of the English-Welsh border, which is historically marked by Offa’s Dyke in the lowland Marches.

The railway journey links the east and west coasts of Britain, so is quite monumental, and should make a relevant mirror poem. Here it is:

Train Journey Rise and Fall, Either Side of Offa’s Dyke

English east coast
Scarborough Yorkshire Coast queen
steaming south through Malton to York
Leeds, Huddersfield and Dewsbury
West Yorkshire canals and mills
trans-Pennine
often white in winter
villages high on hills
Stalybridge signals
City of Manchester
stadium seen before centre

South West to Shrewsbury, Welshpool past Halfway House

castle visible from town
Powis county name
Newtown notifies
farms rising in altitude
sometimes grey clouds hidden
traws-Cambrian
Mid Wales rivers and farms
Caersws, Machynlleth and Dovey
riding parallel Estuary widens to Borth
Aberystwyth Cardigan Bay pier
Welsh west sea

Marc Latham’s central site is the Greenygrey (http://www.greenygrey.co.uk), and he has books available on Smashwords and Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/author/marclatham).