COMING FROM THE MILL (1930)... (My poem inspired by L.S. Lowry's painting...)

 Coming From the Mill (1930)…

(Inspired by L. S. Lowry’s painting…)

Lean, slumped and cramped, they bent

Into an imaginary Salford wind

But in truth it was the grime, 

The monotony, the dull, smoky town

And a criminal lack of ambition

I discerned in each figure’s abject mind…

Huddled forlorn and addled, they stepped

Uncertainly, yet homeward, slinking

But in fact it was the time,

The melancholy, the foul, murky town

And a subliminal lack of elation

I perceived in each worker’s burdened thinking…

Pete Ray

Travelled to Salford Quays to stay overnight and watch Barcelona’s match at Manchester City in 2015. 

Looked at Lowry’s paintings and was taken by this particular exhibit...