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Tuesday 31 March 2020

So Close


So Close

I watched that film again today
I’ve seen it a few times before
It only lasts a few short minutes
Showing life as it was once before

Taken from the front of a rolling tram
It follows tracks from the centre of town
Up the hill, and along Manningham Lane
As far as the park, then turning back round

The footage is jerky and grainy
Flickering, faulting, the focus all over the place
The horses and carts, the men in their hats
The girls in their bonnets, hiding their face

And I know every one of these houses and streets
Every tram-stop along the way
It might have been a hundred years ago
But to me it looks like only yesterday

And it’s more than just the memories.
The familiarity and the knowledge of years –
There’s something about almost being there
That brings me quite close to tears

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2020

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