Yet Another Lame Attempt - A Magpie Tale

A view of the River Irwell offered by R.A.D. Stainforth and Tess Kincaid

I had no inkling of the River Irwell and so I investigated. From Wiki:

The River Irwell is a 39-mile (63 km) long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, in North West England. Its source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Bacup, Lancashire. It is the boundary between Manchester and Salford, and empties into the River Mersey near Irlam. The Irwell is all that remains of the shallow seas that covered most of south-east Lancashire in the Late Carboniferous period, when deposits of mud and sand were laid down. The first recorded human settlements were those of the Celtic tribe, the Brigantes, who farmed the uplands and lower reaches of the river in the late iron age. In AD 79 the Roman Empire conquered these tribes, building forts at the confluences of the Irwell and the rivers Irk and Medlock and naming the town Mamucium.

Mamucium, also known as Mancunium, was a fort in the Roman province of Britannia. Mamucium was garrisoned by a cohort of auxiliary soldiers and guarded the road running from Chester to York. A vicus, or civilian settlement made up of traders and the families of the soldiers, grew outside the fort and was an area of industrial activity. This was the start of the city of Manchester.

Yet Another Lame Attempt

If I opened into
the Mersey and held near you,
old Mamucium,
then I would be known
as I am instead of some
unknown drab poet
dry as dusty bones,
spread on River Irwell's banks
through this sad device.

May 6, 2012 10:33 AM

("I hope I pass the audition." - Ringo Starr)

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