New Bridge Poem by Paul Reed

How many times have I crossed
Your sturdy beams and steady road
For all the years that we have lost
You carried your heavy load;

The rusting bolts, the mottled green
Standing stock still as the river winds
Forged from steel, forever seen,
Imprinted in our minds;

You were there before we came
Awaiting our late arrival,
Things had always been the same
But now you have a rival;

For upriver new foundations rest and jut
Interrupting the clear water,
Placed, determined to stay put
Sunderland has a new daughter;

Your centre section lies in wait
Pre-fabricated and fashioned
Strong and tensed to brave the spate
With skilful hands impassioned;

The efforts from mind to paper to now
For scraping of hands and blood that was spilt,
The thinking of who, where, when and how
We are the generation that saw you built;

The future eyes will take in your arc
Whose minds will be inspired?
Who will light you in the dark
When days grow old and tired;

I hope you withstand the storms and squalls
Overcome the tidal swell,
Stand firm in the rise and falls
New bridge, I wish you well.