of the Fighting Temeraire
gaining fame not for deeds in battle
but immortalised by Turner's brush
being towed slowly by a tug:
funeral procession on the river,
glory days long gone...nothing lasts forever.
The sails are lowered permanently,
the vessel painted grey as if a ghost
and I wonder if old sailors are watching
from the banks of the iconic Thames
as it sadly heads for the scrap heap.
I feel the ship has a soul shedding tears
as the moment of her destruction nears.