Bone Beach

Cherry

By Philip Sidney

Mon, 06 Apr 2015
  • 2414 reads
14 comments
 

Steel iced water laps

between long fingers of land,

colder than old time.

 

Glacial winds bite,

buoyant ducks whoop, wrapped  in their

Eider-downy warmth.

 

Concrete huts cluster,

iron clad against the cold,

rusty, salt crusty.

 

Shingle demarcates

the overlapping edge of

a shifting shale shore.

 

Gravel footfalls crunch,

find bones amongst the stones 

spiny skeletons

 

washed up whole, flesh sucked

by seals who must have fought these

tough unbroken fish

 

razor teeth intact,

silver of scales exchanged for

long arctic-white death.

 

Sit inside a room

made from metal, glass and wood,

sip buttery soup.

 

Across the table

your eyes hold all the colours,

let us live for now.

 

Certificate 12
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

A cold, honed place, invigorating probably. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Invigorating is right.  So strange that there were so many big fish skeletons there.

Submitted by celticman on

a sensual walk through a moment in time, but which is also a place. Well done. 

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you. smiley

Submitted by VeraClark on

Love every word of it. Appeals to all the senses and so intricate how you've fused a relationship inside this place too.

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much Vera! smiley

Submitted by love_writing on

I heard the sound of the gravel footfall crunch- as Vera says appeals to all the senses.

love_writing

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

smiley

Submitted by tibi popovici on

Interesting details and a lot of meaning at the end. Like it, Philip!

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks tibi. :)

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Helen

And don't you think the rocks look like dead sheep?

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Yes!  especially those half covered with snow.

Submitted by Alan Russell on

You seem to share observations about how cold affects us.  It can make me feel an inward resentment at having to suffer it and also raise questions in me about how others deal with.

Strong imagery conveyed of the desolation of a winter seahorse and the relief at being able to escape from it into the warm.

Well done.

Alan

Ringwood

Great Britain

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you Alan, bring on the sun!