Finding my way in London

London tour guides

Here in the UK, “orientate” is actually an acceptable verb. And it’s one they use often.

You've got to be quick

The London Underground map is a thing of beauty, but this is not that map.

winter parrot

There are flocks of wild parrots in the parks,

cranes

but the true avian symbol of the city is the crane.

green wall

Cities are made of walls. In London, these walls rarely stay in one place for long.

London brick

London is built on clay and with bricks made from that same clay. No wonder everyone seems so self-absorbed.

talking Shakespeare

Statues stand by to call us on our mobiles

fountain app

and fountains let us control them with a sweep of the hand.

art

One art college puts its students on public display

Grant Museum scientists on display

and a natural history museum incorporates its staff into the exhibits.

Jeremy Bentham pub

The spirit of Jeremy Bentham is everywhere,

platform

his panopticon an accepted dimension of British life.

Regents Park 4

A squirrel can’t gather leaves for its nest without being followed and photographed multiple times.

watched by the ancestors

Someone is always watching,

King's Cross

someone is always plotting their escape.

Matthew Flinders and Trim

Dead white men are still lionized

Paolozzi's Blake's Newton

with their mighty compasses

Cock Tavern sign

pointing the way to the Age of Enlightenment.

Mind

I’m still not sure how to bridge that gap.

8 Replies to “Finding my way in London”

    1. Thanks. Gosh, where to begin? I’m not actually the best person to make such a comparison, since I’ve never spent any appreciable amount of time in a large US city.

  1. On re-reading I realise this is a poem as well as a succinct portrait of London. Hope you don’t mind me borrowing your last photo – it popped into my inbox just when I needed it!

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