The Diving Board by Chris Ingham
Closest I ever got to heaven,
Above the moors at 14’ 7’’.
Slippery steps,
tiny board,
Pool below,
friends all roared.
Don’t look down,
can’t look up,
Can’t move
forward, feet are stuck.
Closest I ever got to heaven,
Above the moors at 14’ 7’’.
Queue behind,
getting lairy,
To stay or go –
be quite contrary.
Deep breath
in, what’s the worst?
Split in two,
like a Damien Hirst.
Closest I ever got to heaven,
Above the moors at 14’ 7’’.
Leap of faith,
tumble down,
Hit the Water –
felt like ground.
Red skin, feel
quite ill,
Never again will
I climb that hill.
Closest I ever got to heaven,
Above the moors at 14’ 7’’.
The diving
board, now long gone,
They say health
and safety spoiled everyone’s fun.
Me? I’m glad
it’s gone. Don’t care who’s to blame,
A monument to my
pride and shame.
Closest I ever got to heaven,
Above the moors at 14’ 7’’.
Fact File:
·
Opened in 1935 as part of King
George’s Silver Jubilee;
·
Designed by Frank Skinner, the
Borough Surveyor;
·
Entertains 4000 visitors on a
hot summers day and 150,000 people a year;
·
Water temperature ranges
between 14 and 22 degrees C;
·
Shaped like a half mushroom,
with an unscreened fountain and an art-deco coffee shop;
·
Hosts live music and events.
·
Friends of Ilkley Lido: http://www.ilkleylido.co.uk/index.php
