River Blocks

There was a corner,
where the sun highlighted
the water.
So that it looked like
the surface was woven.
Blocks of stone were
placed there to protect
the riverbanks when boats
were as frequent as buses.
When people exploited
the water for the good
and the bad.
Putting some mark on their history.
A needle in the wax.
Leaving a sort of  record.
And yet here it is now,
the boats sixty years gone.
The sweaty, noisy workers
browning images on paper.
While the river is not
changed and could lose
the blocks tomorrow
without the slightest care.