Geoffrey Winch

Standpoint

I’m a disillusioned cathedral-city visitor. Whether I approach a city by bridge or boat, rail or road, I do so with tunnel vision, for only determination would have taken me there. Naturally, I never expect to find its myths paved with gold: my singular aspiration is to walk through its maze of streets until I happen upon its cathedral with a tall spire; to discover that the city’s heart and soul have survived intact and is alive and well. But first, by the buildings I pass, and the squares and parks I walk through, I need to be absorbed.   

towers
ever higher
in the midday sun
shadows
at every turn

And with its citizens living purposeful lives, I need to feel engaged. I wish to see its transport systems all running on time, and know all its destinations can be readily reached. I want to be able to freely wave my hands in time with the city’s music flowing from its restaurants and bars; and to know its graffitied walls do not divide its nights from days.

Whichever route I follow, when I eventually arrive at the cathedral I know I must feel ready to stand there before it with an open mind.

gazing upwards
to gauge the height of a spire
all I see
is the same dark cloud
hanging over me

---

About the Author 

Geoffrey Winch, a retired highway engineer, writes free form poetry; haiku; haibun; tanka; tanka prose, and cherita. He is the author of five poetry collections and lives on the south coast of England.