Lurking fog and drizzle falling
the sea a greyish green
Waves like monstrous ogres rising
tossed by winds unseen
Alone on dampened shingle
taste of salt upon my lips
Braced to ocean’s vigour
gazing out to windward ships
I am the only audience
for this winter serenade
A symphony composed for one
perfect and uniquely made
This cacophony splendid
sounds cherished as my own
To me triumphant music
with cymbal crash and moan
Rhythm dragged across the shingle
drumbeat on the wooden groyne
Turns the staid and older man
back to the winsome boy
Enraptured there I listen
as the music builds and plays
My heart a-flutter, eyes for tears
a glorious malaise
And as the white surf slips away
tumultuous applauds
Along with cries ‘Encore! Encore!’
I hanker after more.
[Music was first penned back in the late 1980s (I don’t have a precise date); first added to Jemverse in May 2014 and then reposted in August 2019 and again today]
Lightest of breeze, Sea in the air
Sounds of children playing down there
Green on the shingle, Cabbage White
Occasional bird in lazy flight
Blue of the sky, blue of the sea
White wispy clouds, soft buzzing bee
Shimmering distantly Worthing pier
Sometimes hazy, sometimes clear
Moored on horizon, fishing boats
Whilst nearer in shore swimmers float
Out to the east is Brighton’s sprawl
High in the air a seagull’s call
Perfect now the weather’s fine
Lancing Beach in summertime
Took myself for a walk
around and about
my gait having purpose
as it's nice to get out
Down to the beach
the broad walk for me
breathing in deep
salt air from the sea
Nodding a greeting
to people I passed
responding in kind
to others who asked
Getting my steps in
but it's more than that
as it brings a purpose
for matter of fact
Wellbeing of mind
and body and spirit
which in walks by the sea
fills up in a minute
So the privilege isn't
in any way lost
and I'm thankful for that
with no price or cost
As all of this wonder
is given for free
in a walk on the beach
down here by the sea
Cathartic this wide expanse of beach
tide low under deep blue sky
just the tonic that I needed
as I wandered slowly by
Splashed winter boots in cold water
found a bright red shell
dragged my toe through the wet sand
with words I'll never tell
Felt the sun warm on my neck
wiped away the tear
replacing that with new found joy
as things became quite clear
Watching winter setting sun
on the beach from the long mile
A perfect ending to the day
I stayed there for quite a while
An ebbing tide, a lapping sea
with gold reflected there
On the long mile I breathed my thanks
for all this in a prayer
Of an evening spent down by the sea
with waves lapping there quietly
I’ll let the silence encapsulate me
At the end of a wonderful day
Of an evening with the sky painted pink
as my toes in the sand slowly sink
I have time to ponder and think
At the end of a wonderful day
Of an evening with sun on the wane
with the sky to the west all aflame
The sea brings its calming again
At the end of a wonderful day
Of an evening slowly coming to end
in this place I can always depend
It is good to spend time with my friend
At the end of a wonderful day
Over the years I have titled several poems with the preposition ‘of’ – so this last Jemverse mini-series of 2022 pulls some of those back together again
Sunshine returned, it's cooler now
but the beach beckoned silent to me
and I heard its voice and quickened to that
with a wander down to the sea
Catching again the glimmer out there
as the sun on the water it shone
reminded me that these moments in time
need capturing lest they are gone
So I wandered a while on the shore with my friend
as the shingle crunched under my feet
watching the waves as out there they danced
at one with the world and complete
For it's there that I'm always the best I can be
I'm content in my happy place here
just watching the ocean, salt in the air
unbridled exuberance of cheer
Caught a bus into work
'cos the wind was quite high
and overnight it had blown
something onto the line
so the trains were all cancelled
but buses were still
accepting our tickets
for a walk with a will
But the walk was well worth it
and I made quite the most
as the route that it took
was alongside the coast
and the bonus awaiting
on the beach at the end
was a glimpse of the sunrise
which with words here I send
I watched the sea, it did me proud
I smiled at it and laughed out loud
The waves they roared, I roared right back
As I wasn’t having any of that
Alone on the stone with sun and spray
On a fine and perfect Autumn day
On the shoreline with the crashing sounds
That filled the air and shook the ground
Green and blue the waters came
Crashed and turned and crashed again
I shouted loud, could not be heard
As something in my heart had stirred
Something about the hand of the sea
and the tactile nature of things
it leaves in its wake for people to find
to pull at many heart strings
Something about the smooth of the feel
and the salt blended into the grain
that brings inspiration to a poet's mind
for words that will always remain
Something about the beauty that's there
it some flotsam often quite small
for a treasure that's found to have and to hold
is the 'je ne sais quoi' of it all
...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 