The Fighting Temeraire


I do like Sunday morning Anna as we can laze about in bed and do absolutely nothing 

I love your room as the sun starts on one wall and travels to the other each day

I love the prints you have attached to your  white plaster walls

Anna looked around and saw that Anna had dozed off in the morning sunlight

She took care not to wake her love and began to tiptoe around the room

Anna had completed this ritual many times before for no particular reason

She always stopped in front of the print of Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire

It was her favourite painting but it also troubled her as there was something hidden

She had asked Anna many times as Anna was a lecturer in Art History

But she was always teased and told to work it out for herself

Its the sun Anna it is in the wrong place do you not see that 

No not really 

The magnificent ship is being towed towards London so in theory we are looking east 

Where does the sun set 

In the west 

We are not looking in a westerly direction 

I see 

Wherever you are in both hemispheres the sun will always rise in the east and set in the west 

The same can be said of the moon and the stars as the earth spins towards the east

But why did the artist place it there when he knew it to be wrong 

Anna received no answer and turned towards Anna who she supposed to be awake

But her friend was still asleep

There was nobody else in the room

For an instant she felt nervous as she was naked

I wanted it to represent the madness of the world 

A great ship a veteran of many battles being let to her death 

Under a cold thin sky whilst the sun burns like a raging fire 

Oh the stupidity of man 

Although the day promised to be warm Anna felt chilled and joined Anna in her bed

She kissed her lightly on her forehead

I now understand the painting fully Anna 

That is good as I knew that he would visit you

I had asked him to do so on many occasions

Shall we go back to sleep now

As the day is young