The Grand Canal Poem by Raymond Farrell

Others may take the title
But to the Chinese
There is only one Grand Canal
Stretching from Beijing to Hangzhou
It is the longest canal
In the world
Parts of it date back to
The 5th century BC
Since arriving in Hangzhou
I have walked up and down
Its banks over a dozen times
Marvelling at the ancient stone work
That has stood the test of time
At its southern tip
It joins the Qiantang river
Which feeds into
The great Yangtze River Delta
The unpredictability
Of natural rivers
And their difficult passage
Made the building of this canal
A commercial necessity
In ancient China
Currently only the section
Between Hangzhou and Jining
Is navigable
But it is still a commercial necessity
Sending 100 million tons
Yearly
Into the busy delta
Barges carrying
Coal and construction material
Pass
Row after row
Moving
Up and down the canal
To ease
The traffic congestion
Broad bypass canals have been dug
Around major cities
Notable people of antiquity like
The poet Lu You
Who travelled the canal
In 1170
Wrote of its beauty
And commented on the
Traffic congestion
And now over 800 years later
I am doing the same.