BRIDGE
OVER TROUBLED WATER
I
was standing in my kitchen this morning preparing lunch for myself and my
husband, in reverie chopping celery and spring onions to toss in a salad when a
song starts playing on the radio.
Immediately
I am transported back to the age of 16 years old. I was standing in my first
‘serious’ boyfriend’s room where he had just put on the gramophone Simon and
Garfunkel’s record, A Bridge Over Troubled Water.
It
is such a strong memory, even after all these years. It was the first time I
had been alone in a room with a young man without any adults around – his
parents were out for the afternoon.
He
was a couple of years older than me, he had his own car and was very cool. His parents converted their basement for him
into his own ‘pad.’ There was a sofa, table,
chairs, something to make drinks with and he had his OWN record player.
He
asked me if I’d heard the record before and I think I’d replied I had heard it
on the radio. He asked me if I had ever
listened to the lyrics. I had never
really actually listened to the lyrics of a song before. I’d always known I’d liked the tune, liked
the chorus but had never given it the attention it actually deserved.
That
one question stayed with me throughout my life and since that day I have always
made of point of actually listening to the lyrics of a song.
When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
We
listened to that record over and over again in those very happy couple of hours
in his basement.
So thank you Peter
for that truly amazing gift you gave me.
THE BRIDE
The diamond ring set
sparkled on her hand
She had travelled
many miles over sea and land
To celebrate
Christmas with her friends and family
Her wedding day four
days later, elegant and fancy
She felt a twinge of
regret but a deep sigh relieved her
There was a question
with an unknown answer
One person was
missing and she didn’t know what to do
Should she have made
advances, was she wrong not to?
Stupidly, stubbornly
she’d burned her bridges several
years ago
She had achieved her
dream, she was the blushing bride
She walked proudly by
her husband’s side.
Five years later she
reached out
Offered the olive
branch but filled with doubt
She need not have
worried so
The answer she’d been
waiting for
Came back with love
and care
The past is the past,
gone, can’t be changed
Replied her dad,
let’s not be estranged
Now a planned visit in a few
months’ time
As she returns but in
the meantime
They write over
emails, stay in contact
She’s always loved
her dad, that’s a fact
She thought of him
every single day
From 12,000 miles away.
BRIDGES PHOTO ALBUM
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Photo credit: Sally Stackhouse
Pedestrian Bridge over M20 motorway Ashford, Kent, UK on a dark,
stormy day in January 2015.
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Photo credit: Sally Stackhouse
Medieval Bridge at Teston, Maidstone, Kent, UK. Not just one
arch but several spanning the River Medway.
Photo credit: Sally Stackhouse
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The same Medieval Bridge at Teston, Maidstone, Kent, UK
showing the beautiful arch.
Medieval Bridge at Teston, Maidstone, Kent, UK.
Photo credit: Sally Stackhouse
Newenden Bridge spanning the River Rother, Kent, UK.
My grandparents brought up their family of three boys in
this village, my father was the eldest child.
Photo credit: Sally Stackhouse
Bridge at the River Alde, Suffolk, UK. We visited here on a holiday a few years ago.
Photo credit: Sally Stackhouse
My grandson and his father feeding the ducks standing on a
bridge at Eastwell Lake, Ashford, Kent, UK, nearly four years ago now.
My eldest grandson and my daughter a few years ago on a
bridge over the river Thames looking at the London Eye. These days my grandson is taller than me!
