Dec 2021
When the tidal wave came
I was looking the other way.
I knew the gentle Shuttle
had its shallow banks
concreted, walled, ready
for the diverted torrent,
but for some reason I was looking
North, thinking that way lay
the Thames and its barrier,
not knowing the wave
would follow the Shuttle’s
more meandering route
and I got it in the back of the neck.
I was looking the other way.
I knew the gentle Shuttle
had its shallow banks
concreted, walled, ready
for the diverted torrent,
but for some reason I was looking
North, thinking that way lay
the Thames and its barrier,
not knowing the wave
would follow the Shuttle’s
more meandering route
and I got it in the back of the neck.
SE London's Thames tributaries were reinforced when they built the Thames barrier. The idea being that once engaged, the barrier would divert the predicted tidal wave down rivers like the River Shuttle. We lost the gentle banks and gained the anticipation of a torrent.
(62/M/London, U.K.)
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