St Audrey's Bay Waterfall

Gold cherry

By marandina

Fri, 15 Jul 2022
  • 3361 reads
23 comments
 

Audio version at https://soundcloud.com/user-62051685/st-audreys-bay-waterfall-mp3

 

St Audrey’s Bay Waterfall

Blue skies harbour cumulous clouds,

water trails alongside a coastal path,

green railings, boundaries, meander to

archaic, rusting stairs above a beach.

Flat shelves of rocks shuffle

like playing cards dealt on baize,

outcrops of sedimentary, obsidian shale,

rock pools, saltwater and seaweed.

Dogs roam through pebbles and boulders,

bleached sand lying prostate beneath,

children forage for hidden fossils,

imprinted, preserved ammonites.

Water cascades to Earth from above,

falling in torrents down a cliff face,

trees perched atop, green thorns,

trunk split asunder by white lightning.

Millennia recorded in striated whispers,

geology forged over untold eons,

so many of our lifetimes witnessed,

sentinel of beatific sound undiminished.

 

*Image is my own

**Video of waterfall at link below. Location is in Somerset near Watchet

https://www.facebook.com/100000978754683/videos/a.7436982459677639/49516...

 

 

Certificate U
Poem
Miscellaneous Poems
Nature

Comments

Submitted by airyfairy on

'Flat shelves of rocks shuffle like playing cards dealt on baize' - that's an amazing image. Beautiful piece of writing.

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading Jane/airyfairy. It's an image from a holiday in Kilve, Somerset last Easter. You don't see many waterfalls in England (can't remember seeing one before other than in the Highlands of Scotland). It's a hidden gem and well worth seeing. Paul

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

This is such an inspiring poem Paul. You bring to life the photo and much more with your natural flair for words.

Very much enjoyed reading and thank you for sharing.

Jenny. smiley

 

Submitted by marandina on

Glad you liked it, Jenny. And thank you for those very generous words. I've read some incredible poems on here this week. It's hard to keep up. We try our best. Paul :)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I really likerd "striated whispers" and the sense of the living, warm blooded present (children and dogs)  within ancient much much more slowly changing shapes of stone,and also the more recent changes in Nature, with split trees and constantly moving (but in a way always the same) water

 

Submitted by marandina on

Ah thanks for reading, Di. You have an amazing afinity with nature that shines so brightly in your work. That's typically perceptive of you. Yes, I guess it is worth appreciating the here and now of people and animals and how that contrasts with the stoicism of the surroudings including the waterfall itself. It's a very beautiful place. Paul :)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

That's very kind of you, thankyou! Have just got back from a walk which involved going across a field with no path (in Scotland we are allowed to) and the reeds were up to my waist and the FLIES were AWEFUL!!! I felt so sorry for cows and horses not having arms that can get everywhere to brush them off and VERY RELIEVED  to get to a gate and a more grassy field - did not feel affinity AT ALL  :0) But the view of sparkling warm blue sea in the distance and waves of green sea round me was fab and saw a buzzard flying just above as walked beside the wood I usually walk through and only glimpse or hear calling :0)

 

Submitted by marandina on

That sounds like a walk of contrasts but, ultimately, worth it. Enjoy the weather, Di. Although it gets seriously scorchio next week! 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thank you for the cherries, ABC Eds. Genuinely appreciated. Paul

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I hadn't thought of waterfalls being uncommon in England, I suppose it is the kind of landscape. So many near here and in Wales. But this one looks quite unusual. The sound of waterfalls is very refreshing, and themore gentle burbling of rivers over stones.

I like the feeling of the observing eye painting up the scene.

I would have to disagree with the Millennia recorded in striated whispers, geology forged over untold eons though I know that is the generally stated assumption in this country at present. Unlike tree rings, the timescale for sedimentary rock formation is assumed as felt necessary, and yet, the very engulfing of creatures and their fossilisation indicates a sudden smothering in flood, and not idicative of a gradual burial eon by eon, but each layer formed quickly and different strata could quickly follow each other in flood and catastrophe conditions. As many fossils are now found to have soft tissue, the dating of the rocks is shown to be not particularly ancient. And this has been illustrated by the kinds of layered rocks formed at Mt St Helens recently, and chemical dating methods there gave false-old ages. (Chemical/radioactivity dating methods have to assume original constituents of samples, and constancy of rates etc).

That doesn't stop the wonder of seeing the strata faces exposed! Rhiannon

 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Ah thanks for reading, Rhiannon. You will know far more than me re geology. The layers on the cliffs look like they cover very long periods of time. I know what you mean about sedementary rock but the poem is alluding to the waterfall and the cliffs. For anyone wanting more info re the geological aspects of the site then this link will inform much better than ever I can! https://ukfossils.co.uk/2002/10/04/st-audries-bay/

It talks about "St Audries bay has the most interesting geology in Somerset. To the east, the bay exposes nearly the whole sequence of rocks from the Upper Triassic Mercia Mudstone Group and to the west, the beds succeed down to the Lower Jurassic Blue Lias beds.

Looking east the headland named Blue Ben is visible, with Lias rocks faulted against the red Triassic marl of the Mercia Mudstone Group."

Thanks for leaving such an interesting comment. Paul :)

 

Submitted by celticman on

striated whispers, that's a good way of seeing geology 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Ah, thanks for reading, CM 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

sounds - and looks wonderful. I'm putting it on my list of places to visit. thank you!

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading, insert/Claudine. It's an odd place to access as it's on a holiday park. Worth it when you get there, though. Paul :) 

 

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Paul

 

Beautiful imagery. You have a lovely way with words.

Jean Day

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading, Jean. That's very kind of you to say. I try and hope for the best. Paul :) 

 

Submitted by rjnewlyn on

This is our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day! Please share/retweet if you like it. 

 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Oh thank you, so much. That's wonderful! Paul :) 

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

The words of your poem cascade like a waterfall I like the style of your poem, loose thoughts strings phrases together in lovely images. Very natural rhythm. Very interesting also all the geology. We can do with more of these!

North of us in Zimbabwe is the Victoria falls they say that is really spectacular they've fixed up some of the older hotels more recently, for tourists it's not in the dilapidated neglected state as once. My mother and them were there some while ago sounds fantastic. Sadly she's passed now. She said she went on a microlight flying carried over and back the waterfall. She's very brave I wouldn't risk it.

My grandparents were there longer ago made friends with a american couple "There's no stopping it is there?" On the mighty Zambezi river. Maputo these days is also again a big tourist destination especially the ocean and fishing and beaches and mostly quite safe, it sounds unbelievable your strong currency makes it all very affordable and certainly worthwhile.

I just love waterfalls you know you see little rainbows in sparkling sunshine all over in the mists.

Cheers Paul! Tom Brown

 

Submitted by marandina on

Ah thanks for reading it, Tom. And a thoroughly interesting comment. You made me realise that I have never been to Africa in my lifetime. I worked with a wonderful Scotsman once who had lived in South Africa for many years. He made it sound such an amazing country and he would always say how sport mad South African people were. Keep well. Paul 

 

Submitted by hilary west on

Hi marandina,

Some very good descriptive writing in this. Much enjoyed !!!

hilary   smiley

 

Submitted by marandina on

Oh thank you for reading it, Hilary. Paul :)