In January 2006 a whale visited London. It was a beautiful moment. We stopped work and watched the news, some people went to Thames-side to see it up close. It wasn't very happy and clearly in distress but I like to think that it could have been on a whale-holiday, a bit of sight-seeing before heading back to the sea.

A Trip to the Thames

Swimming against the tide.
Slipping through narrow channels.
The salty taste diminishing.

A bottle nose breach by Big Ben.
A discordant chime.
As the hour struck.

He sidled past a pleasure boat;
A group of Japanese tourists
Struck dumb at the sight.

All of London stopped.
Office workers delighted,
at the break from the day.

He slipped underwater,
Escaping the camera flashes
And helicopter drone.

He met some rowers at Richmond
And tried to keep the pace
But he was starting to flag.

Well-intentioned eco people
Pushed and shoved
And tried to help him feed.

But it was time to go
Back to the open sea
An end to the mini-adventure

Crowds surged to the Thames; London united; the day a whale came to town.