Cycling back from Kirtlington quarry along the Oxford Canal
one early Sunday morning


hooray for water and waterways
hooray for the unsung navigators

hooray for nettle stings
and blackberry lips
hooray for dogs’ damp noses

hooray for the oxford boaties
and their animal warmth
hooray for floating bedrooms

hooray for beerbottle laughs
and redwine smiles
hooray for foiled potatoes

hooray for woven flames
and embered eyes
hooray for grassy dancefloors

hooray for repetitive beats
and quarried cliffs
hooray for smoky bodies

hooray for mushroom tea
and wishful stars
hooray for dreamy children

hooray for the gawky heron
perched on the pipe
hooray for august’s plenty

hooray for the pyjama clouds
and the breakfast sun
hooray for morning’s glory

yes
hooray for water and water’s ways
and hooray for the unsung
navigators