When in flight over Shoreham
a hundred years ago
two bridges you would see
'cross the river down below
The Norfolk and the railway
but no footbridge crossing yet
for the town and all its people
had that pleasure still to get
Photo – from a postcard in the author’s collection
[This picture dates to before 1921 when a new footbridge was opened spanning the river to the bottom left where a group of people can been seen. Shoreham airport (from which the aeroplane here probably came) opened in June 1911, just eight years after the Wright brothers first ever manned flight in December 1903. Strictly speaking, Shoreham had three bridges when the picture was taken, but the third – the old toll bridge – is to the north and out of shot]
At the Buckingham Arms with my Bro for a beer
Our local, our pub - we both love it here
Conversation will flow and we'll have a good time
with a chat and a game over beer or a wine
It's our mindfulness tonic for mental health's sake
so we'll waste not a moment this pleasure to take
Now where people park their cars
on tarmac for some shopping
once stood an open field where
you'd oft see sheep a-hopping
A shepherd's hut stood to the south
close to its southern border
fenced in with wooden latticework
to keep the sheep in order
On Tarmount Lane in Shoreham town
the shepherd's field you'd see
for many years with grazing
for the sheep that wandered free
Photo – from a postcard in the author’s collection
[This picture, taken from the top of St Mary de Haura’s church tower, shows an early 20th century view of Shoreham looking east towards the chemical works on the beach and the harbour entrance. You can see the shepherd’s hut and field in the bottom left hand corner. It’s now a car-park.]
On the corner of East Street the Ferry Rigg
keeps history alive with its name
though the vista to South with a century past
will never now quite be the same
For once cross the Adur the ferryman pulled
his oars for the people to cross
from the beach to the town for business and such
with a gain to the past and our loss
[Until a footbridge was constructed across the river Adur in Shoreham in 1910, the only passage from the beach to the town was via the ferry men. The original footbridge was replaced with a new one called ‘The Adur Ferry Bridge’ in 2013. The new bridge retraces the route of the original ferryman rowboat service across the river. The ‘Ferry Ring’ is a pub.]
These hills, these ways, these wildflower trails
so many times traversed
and yet in absence, no regret
as evidenced by verse
For here I'm in my element
my heartstrings pulled to smile
whenever I'm on Sussex trails
for mile on wondrous mile
At the end of our garden the wild things grow
but it's colourful in the sun too
there are things that we've made
and precious things saved
which for interest one keeps as you do
Some spider plants made it outside to the sun
as the warmer climes help them to grow
so each day there we see
quite magnificently
this room in our garden on show
The bluebells are blooming, it's that time of year
in the garden there under the tree
that gives shade from the sun
when their time has begun
for this lovely bright vision we see
Every year without fail, ancient woodlands' bequest
sees in May this blue reappear
in warming sunshine
when the weather gets fine
for a pleasure that we here hold dear
Six miles and thirteen thousand steps
reversed, the loop's still fine
as this quite pleasant circuit
is something wholly mine
Takes around two hours
with a few stops in between
to savour once again the views
amongst the best I've seen
For this is Sussex and my home
we share a synergy
taking full advantage of
each other's company
Through a gap in the bushes
I spied Shoreham town
nestled there under the Downs
twixt me and the sea
safe there in the lea
the bearer of treasure and crowns
And I smiled in the knowledge
that this was my home
the place I am so pleased to live
for it has everything
to make my heart sing
with the riches it serves there to give
There's a green ship in the harbour
up the river quite a bit
much further on than usual
so I took a pic of it
Rarely dredged of course these days
the building silt means most
will rarely venture up this far
at Shoreham on the coast
A far cry from my yesterdays
when every berth was full
so good to see the odd one still
with time's incessant pull
...all about me and my life in words. I write most days, carrying an ideas book around in which I capture a word snapshot of life around me. So there's a lot here about Sussex and the sea and anything else I see that inspires.
The pictures are mine too. Some taken to match a poem; some poems written to match a pic; others chosen because they work well with words written.
Jemverse is life in words. Hope you enjoy the reading as much as I enjoy the writing...
Jemverse 