Southend, 1976

Cherry
Poem of the week

By Philip Sidney

Tue, 08 Aug 2017
  • 5621 reads
20 comments
 

Southend, 1976

burnt rock-deep
past the blood-orange of closed lids
into memory

its brand sizzling
flesh into cicatrix -
tender meat cauterized

seared brown and bloody
like steak between prawn cocktail
and Blackforest gateaux

relief froths whitely at the estuary’s mouth -
warm beer breath and
cigarette sirocco blow dryly

at the lacy edge of scar tissue -
the sea a salty saliva
hot and dirty

stings
like the scratch
of a school compass.

Certificate 12
Poem
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by YaseminB on

Beautiful and very well rhymed. Loved this.

Yasemin Balandi

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much Yasmin.

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

every words counts in this, and it's all perfect, right down to the period food. Well done Phil

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Insert - it was a heatwave that I cannot forget, those posh dinners - washed down with Mateus Rose or Blue Nun - seemed so sophisticated. 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you for the cherries! smiley

Submitted by fatboy74 on

I love this and the ending is perfectly weighted, too many good lines to quote a favourite part.

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much fatboy laugh

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Ah, the Mateus Rose and the Blue Nun! Well remembered and with style.

Luigi x

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Luigi! laughx

Submitted by VeraClark on

Lovely to read your poetry. I'm so busy I don't get chance. Nostalgia with all the trimmings.

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

Congratulations - this wonderfully evocative piece is our Poem of the Week!

Submitted by celticman on

sweet memories, even if they're sour. wonderfully evocative. 

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Well done, Philip Sydney. Need to read again later as have been brought into the now of my mother's birthday. Very interesting visual scene and most intriguing lines. I remember that summer and the dress-rehearsal of '75 very well. You made me Google cicatrix.

Parson Thru

Submitted by Parson Thru on

I like how the voice runs evenly through the aesthetic structure of the stanzas. It gives a dreamlike feel to the piece. Melds structure and flow. The imagery has the veil-like quality of dream and distant memory, whilst touching the present. Beautifully done, Philip Sydney.

Parson Thru

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Nice ambiguity, too. Adolescent moments. Bittersweet. Hey, ho! :)

Parson Thru

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Southend-by-the-sea in a heatwave. You draw an awesome searing picture.

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Wow! After a wet weekend in a tent, pick of the week is a lovely surprise,  thank you so much. 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much everyone for the reads and lovely comments. Xxx

Submitted by JamesF on

Excellent work, Philip, loved every line.

Submitted by Sim on

Have just caught up with this one. A vivid, powerful evocation. I can feel the heat!

Sim