Triangulation Point

David McCorkindale 19 October 2022

Atop the hill stands a small tower of concrete,
An old triangulation point waiting to greet
Those weary souls who’ve dragged their feet

               Up the steep slope
               To check out the view.

It served a useful purpose once, many years ago,
When someone decided they had to know
The layout of the land, as though

               They’d forgotten
               Where they’d left it.

It serves a useful purpose still, for when
I drag my bones up to the top, puffin’ and pantin’,
It gives me something to lean upon

               And catch my breath,
               ‘Cause I’m fair puckled.

And on those days when it’s blowing a gale,
And I’m holding my hat and my flying coat tail,
When the bag on my back acts like a sail,

               I stand behind it,
               To get some shelter.

To you land surveyors of yesteryear,
Taking your bearings from tower to tower,
Who decided to put that trig point there,

               I’m glad you did,
               It comes in handy.

Lead Image: On the Trotternish Ridge (Skye). © Ellie Ulyatt

Creator’s biography

David started writing poetry as a hobby after taking early retirement, having dabbled over the years. He would never describe himself as a poet, but he enjoys writing poems. David tries to write poems that make the reader think or smile, perhaps even both, and believes poems should be written for the pleasure of others.