Above is a photograph of a poem I was commissioned to write by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. It is inscribed in a large plinth on the High Street, part of a huge redevelopment of the town centre. From the summer, an automata in the shape of a train will arise from the point (once a day, in Trumpton-style).
The poem was one of a number I wrote in response to the commission, and was chosen by the panel overseeing the redevelopment. The poem had to do a number of things (some for the commission, some for me):
- Be memorable but not too simplistic - some people will see this a lot and I wanted it to strike them differently over time
- Have local relevance and reference, but not be backwards looking
- Not be trite
- Have a slightly 'civic' tone
- Have a kind of density to it.
So if you know Stockton you may pick up references to the Infinity bridge, which you can just about see from the plinth, the Tees, and the town's firework tradition. (Starting with the invention of the safety match.) It was also, of course, part of the birth of railways.
I actually did't know this was in place when I first saw it, on a shopping trip just before Xmas. I think it looks rather handsome, if I may say so myself. It's also a rather odd feeling to see your name in such a permanent-looking site.
It was very kind of the Council to put a big bow on it too. I think this was just for Xmas:
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