MORNING WALK, MARPLE... (My new poem inspired by Lucy Manfredi's painting...)

 Morning Walk, Marple…

(My new poem inspired by Lucy Manfredi’s painting…)

Reflecting its early morning chill in the canal’s cold

Stillness, a cottage takes succour from a timid sunrise,

Barely noticed by the figure on the snowy towpath and

Who treads a furrow with vigour, perhaps by solace enthused  

In the icy solitude of Marple’s historic cut.

Reflecting upon the canal’s history, a tale might be told

Of barges hauled by working horses with sad, accepting eyes,

Transporting cotton perhaps and urged forth by human hand;

Or of the industrial air by smoke and smells and noise diffused,

As hooves dropped uneasily along a well worn rut…  

Pete Ray…

17th February 2026…

  

Such an atmospheric painting.

Couldn’t help thinking about the past…

Marple is in Greater Manchester, a few miles from Stockport…

  

A source of mine contributed the following about the painting…

‘This beautiful icy snowy winter scene depicting a canal bridge and towpath along with an adjacent house situated in an enviable location has a light ethereal feel.

A recent heavy fall of snow is apparent from the white and blue-white icy shades of the trees. 

All foliage is completely obliterated by the snow and even the towpath is hard to distinguish due to snow. 

A solitary figure wearing hat and a red coat trudging along draws the eye and offers a clear focus of attention to the scene.

The scene is painted in such a way that there is almost an impression of a haze as if very light, almost undetectable snow is falling into the eyes.

The canal bank merges imperceptibly into the icy water that could well be frozen in places and the stunning detached house next to the bridge is delicately reflected in the canal, reminding us that at one time whole families actually lived their lives on canal barges. 

Those times, so different from our own times, saw the canals used as busy highways transporting goods and coal for industry. 

At that time canals were most likely heavily polluted with all manner of human waste. 

Now heavy pollution caused by people is not always so obvious and the canals are places of leisure, relaxation and joy. Even in winter the picture shows us that they are places of great beauty.

The warm brown tones of the bridge, the house and the wall all built, like the canals, by human endeavour contrast with the delicately painted snowscape and the entrancing sky. 

We are reminded that Mother Nature may at times be inconvenient but is always awesome to behold, as in this gorgeous picture…’