Sunday 15 September 2019

In praise of gasmen I've never met



Credit


The streetlights come on in a single sweep,
anonymous hands have turned on a switch
or maybe they're not hands - a sensor keeps
tabs on lumen levels - a drop, a smidge
of twilight means it's time to turn things on,
then nip them closed when dark fades into dawn.


Fancy names I have often heard these called,
this dusting of lights at the waters' edge,
but that's not top of mind. Stories told, retold
- gasmen, another street, a different stretch
of water, and time, each light lit one by one,
turned off singly too, when their work was done.

Less grand. Less automated. More in tune
with the soft drapes of the dark, stars and moon.









12 comments:

  1. MUCH more in tune with the soft drape of the night.
    This is heartfelt and lovely. Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, I am totally not a fan of 'overlighting' in public places. But I'm a minority.

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  2. Hari Om
    A visual delight in mind now - ta! YAM xx

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  3. Hi Nila - oh one can wander back in time ... when life was less troublesome. Lightermen deserve your praise - gasmen they were ... cheers Hilary

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    Replies
    1. Mostly stories I've heard from the previous generations - gas streetlamps were phased out in my hometown in the forties I think..

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  4. Back when lamplighters had to light the way...

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    Replies
    1. Yup and dimly lit spaces didn't automatically translate to greater crime.

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  5. Or back to nights only illuminated by the moon.

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  6. sweet history and gainful employment for many. Now it's a computer guiding our light.

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    Replies
    1. I really have nothing against computer guided lighting - just wish there were less dazzling lampposts everywhere. :) Way too much light pollution.

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