Waterloo Bridge Poem by Frank Witte

I stood paralyzed, silly, in Covent Garden
listening to that old song of Neil Young.
In a few years I 'll know what I've begun
only after I've seen where we are then.
Now all I could understand was that my feet,
were on a way down towards Wellington street.
Walking a life maybe a little to close to sanity's ridge
destined for a fateful meeting on Waterloo Bridge.

Like in a day-dream I crossed Tavistock,
my mind fixed on traffic in Lancaster place,
throat turning dry as a lonely desert rock,
eyes saw only the soft lines of your face.
I could sense the sun's radiance on my back
last resistance to fate was just about crack.
What I was in for was not some silly love glitch:
a meeting with destiny there on Waterloo Bridge.

Past the Lyceum theatre, stopped at the Strand,
I looked around myself so as not to be run over.
Lost my sense of orientation, needed lucky clover
as tumbling into near illusion to the other side I went.
I paced past the white splendour of Sommerset House
with every step more feelings of endearment aroused
Was I still an honest man or just some sneaky weasly fitch
as I slowly moved closer inch by inch to Waterloo Bridge

So I moved above Victoria Embankment out over the water
my eyes struck by far St Paul's rising high towards my left.
My gaze turned right to London's Eye circling as it ought to
and I felt like a ladybird caught by wind of her flight bereft.
But in the middle of the river I finally came to a sudden halt
and an instant later I knew that my name had just been called.
In my life a new thread materialized, new patterns were stitched
that hand waving for me on the otherside of Waterloo Bridge.

Seconds later, I know it was only a harmless swift embrace,
a meeting that I had anticipated in a countless many ways.
As for months if not for years I had been happy but astray
now here I was lost, but found this last Sunday of May.
There we stood and smiled twenty feet above the river
No gifts or presents, all I had was a heart to give her.
They say Death is a dark wizard, but Life is a lovely witch
leading me on to be forever enchanted on Waterloo Bridge.