written and posted by members of Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society

Saturday 15 October 2016

Seagullibility

What would your Saturday Blogger like to see put into Room 101?

I could write you a list that would be longer than my Bucket List or my Christmas List, but one item that would definitely be on there is Inspirational Texts.

Does anyone own up to remembering Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, a novella of self-improvement from the early 1970s by Richard Bach? I've never read it, but apparently millions of seagullible people did (mostly Americans, as it happens). It stuck around in the New York Times best-seller list for years and was made into a movie with voice-over by Richard Harris and a soundtrack by Neil Diamond. It was a fable about a seagull who wanted to find more in life than just scrabbling for food and set out on a quest to achieve self-perfection i.e. trying to be the best seagull that he could be. Yeah, okay.

I wouldn't want to put seagulls into Room 101, however. They are beautiful and resourceful creatures. Blackpool abounds in them and this week's short poem is in celebration of their iconic place in the town's skies (and promenade, squares, car-parks, roof-tops, gardens, rubbish bins....). Every home should have one.

Prototype DeLorean (and ex-Velociraptor)
It's A Beautiful Day
Blackpool blue,
nuanced hue,
seaside sunlight pinballed in ozone
to sparkling azure,
and flecked with a dazzle
of white-bellied gulls;
filled with the laughter of these locals
as they wing it, crazy avians,
elegant and joyful
on mid-morning thermals.
It's a beautiful day.

Thanks for reading. To have a good week, "Begin by knowing that you have already arrived." S ;-)

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Love your weaving magical words as always Steve!

Feckin' hate Seagulls!


Have a good week xx

Steve Rowland said...

Oh - how can you not like the lovable gull? They are sky rogues ;-)

Anonymous said...

I see the local council is considering imposing fines (up to £100) for anyone found feeding the gulls!

Anonymous said...

I don't know about 'Inspirational Texts' but the poem is delightful, an inspiration in itself.