Down By The River

Been down by the river
Sunshine reflecting off
The water, disturbed
By swans, boats, fishers,
Sat on a well worn bench
Next to the fountains,
Smell of chlorine
And cut grass and the last
Few remnants of summer,
As it clings on before
The rape of autumn,
Winter, when the benches
Will sit, iced and empty,
No little girl playing
In the fountains,
And swans have to
Slip-skate across
The frozen surface of
The river, no rowers
At the club then
Boats upside down,
Put to sleep, to rest,
Until the spring thaw.
Been down by the river,
Heat beating upon
My head, exposed skin,
Last days of short dresses,
Lunchtime picnics,
Patios and beer gardens,
Bicycle ice-cream seller,
Sat where we used to
And let a years worth
Of memories pass by,
Like a drifting boat
Caught in the onwards flow
Of the river.