The best part of sailing in a barge
Forgetting of course how much they charge
The ease at being master mariner
Without the problem of a spinnaker
Plying the canals and rivers calm
Where rough seas and wild winds cause no harm
I admit they travel at a snails pace
But they do so with such stately grace
The only scare is coming into docks
Or getting in and through narrow locks
But best of all is docking for the night
Without wild seas making you sick with fright
Image found at www.waterwaysholidays.com
I dream of a barge trip on the canals of Britain! I love this poem!
ReplyDeleteBarges offer a taste of the sea without all that rudeness, um, barging in. Amen.
ReplyDeleteFriends did a bike and barge trip through France and loved it. It seems like such a gentle way to travel.
ReplyDeleteThis is one thing I dream of doing one day.
ReplyDeleteThis made me smile!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful poem! I love barges. I traveled in Paris and Amsterdam via barge. They also have barges here in Richmond that take you up and down the canals parts of the James. This made me smile hugely.
ReplyDeleteI have always fantasied about such a trip, but it will have to remain a fantasy. A treat to revisit it again via your poem.
ReplyDeletecalm waters and a fair wind :) Otherwise I stay firmly on land. Sweet poem
ReplyDeleteA delightful voyage indeed!
ReplyDeleteAye aye, love this. I am all for 'snail's pace' :)
ReplyDeleteNarrow boat heaven here - love the comparisons
ReplyDeleteKeep taking jet boats.. must make time for a barge trip soon!!!
ReplyDelete"I admit they travel at a snails pace
ReplyDeleteBut they do so with such stately grace"
Hahaha! How compelling. Sometimes I look at Zen meditation with the same longing: grace, slow, calm, safe. May it truly be so.
Oh this is lovely!❤️
ReplyDeleteI really think it would be fun to travel in a barge. Slowly down the river. As it moves so slowly, there is plenty of time to enjoy the sights.
ReplyDeleteYou make me want to "barge" my way through a canal, perhaps several of them, in Europe!
ReplyDeleteBrings to mind a song that I love...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYcXjJXxqVM
Now and then I get to ride the huge ferries that ply the waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland.....it is always fun. Coming into dock can be tricky indeed, especially in rough seas...............
ReplyDeleteWhat a delight this poem is. I think you made us all long for a barge journey!
ReplyDeleteI was on a barge the other night. It was made into a restaurant and sits on the river. They had great music and the scenery perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe trade off--gentleness and safety instead of speed--feels quite worth it to me.
ReplyDeleteA lovely bit of writing, imbued with wonderfully rendered rhyme and nostalgia for a simpler time.
ReplyDeleteCould a barge cruise equal what you so beautifully painted?
ReplyDeleteThe first image is incredibly sweet, and, so is the fanciful hankering for the simpler sailing in your poem
ReplyDeletemuch love...