Ever On & On
A seriously short poem on the art of leaving
"It's only leaving…" One of the things I've realised about cruising the canals on my narrowboat is that it's incredibly exciting to leave places, having only just touched on the possibility of putting down roots. It's the most opposite thing from "normal life," I think, and perhaps presents the best evidence for whether you're the type of person who'll embrace cruising as part of your everyday existence.
It was written on the Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal in September 2020 and inspired by the positive experience of my visit to that area. It came to me just after I’d released the mooring lines and moved off – it was almost like the physical link to the town had been severed in that moment, and it felt amazing. I’ve looked forward to that moment ever since, wherever it may take place.
The title (you may have guessed) comes from one of JRR Tolkien's songs sung by the Hobbits of Hobbiton, which begins: "The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone – and I must follow, if I can…"
