Changing Lives Together

CHANGING LIVES TOGETHER

 
Changing lives together
In gorgeous Wakefield weather

 

Hills make the water
That rolls to the river
A city of rivers
River as maker
And water delivers
Telling the stories,
The stories are told
But it’s not often anyone from Sheffield can talk about eight goals!

Changing lives together

In gorgeous Wakefield weather

 Rivelin, Porter, Loxley, Sheaf, Don:

Times might change but the water flows on
‘cos once the canal was like split pea soup
(empathetic nodding from the gathered group)
People want to get away from the daily stresses
And wander by the water in summer shirts and dresses
Don’t encase it
Don’t entomb it
Treat it with respect
Because that can be the way
We power forward from neglect.

The canal can be a place for the homeless men
Who walk around and stand and look then come back home again
By the canal the Castleford Heritage Trust
Took the old mill and wrote the future in flour dust
Two old brothers painting Knottingley scenes;
Mix the paint up with the water and we’ll help to paint your dreams

Changing lives together
In gorgeous Wakefield weather

The community answers the water’s call

Even scraping algae off soaking walls
Even scraping algae of attitudes
Even making the regional news.
What can you do in your backyard
‘cos the questions are easy
But the answers are hard
There’s something fantastic
About tables full of talking
As though brand new ideas
Are standing up and walking
As though all the blank walls
Are filling up with chalking;
Mix the paint up with the water
And we’ll help to paint your dreams
As we move slowly forward
With our plans and schemes

Changing lives together

In gorgeous Wakefield weather

And there’s not enough time for all our thinking

As ties are loosened and there’s water there for drinking
And the wrong long-term strategic plan
Can chuck you from the fire into the frying pan
Two views of strategy formulation
Help you ride your motorbike
On the towpaths of the nation

Changing lives together

In gorgeous Wakefield weather

Come and have a stroll

On the Mirfield Promenade;
It’s all about the people,
As a concept it’s not hard
It’s all about the people
It’s not rocket science
Working together
In a waterborne alliance
If you walk down to the water intersections
You can walk on the water
Thanks to The Community of the Resurrection.
Oystercatchers on the Mirfield Canal?
It’s just a bloke catching oysters and his name is Al!

And we’re scraping algae off the soaking walls
And the Big Society stands or falls
By the cash that flows into the purse
‘cos times are bad but they shouldn’t get worse

Changing lives together

In gorgeous Wakefield weather

When Hilary said Goyts

I thought she meant goats
In their furry coits
With whiskers on their throits
Surfing on the Tees
Is sure to please
The folks of Stockton
On the banks of the Tee
Missing off a letter
Is really not a must
Specially if you drop the C
From the Canal and River Trust.

Changing Lives Together

In gorgeous Wakefield weather

Now the scent of lilac fills the room

And a sense of optimism
Dispels any sense of gloom
Table conversations
Revolution in the air
Instead of talking round a table
Sitting in a chair
Make the tables into boats
And float the tables down the Aire
And before we’re much older
Float the Hepworth down the Calder
Moving through the trees
We can sail right up the Tees
And we’ll never have the blues
If we ride the Hepworth up the Ouse
This poems in the spirit of Wordsworth
‘cos wandering lonely’s in the blood
And wandering lonely by a canal
Makes you feel wanted and understood
And wandering lonely as a cloud
Should not only be allowed
In should be encouraged
For millions and millions and millions
We can all wander by the water
Like happy little Williams
Now let’s all go and get our dinner
Or lunch as they call it in certain parts
And this morning we learned that water is the winner
And we’ve all got water in our hearts
Yes we’ve all got water in our hearts!

Changing lives together

In gorgeous Wakefield weather!  

Ian McMillan