A 60th tale

A day out in Lewes
with the girls in the sun
Browsing antique shops
and all having fun
Here for Sal’s sixtieth
Celebrations start here
Two months for us all
in this special year

We’ve had olives and coffee
at ‘Bills’ for a treat
and later ‘The Snowdrop’
for a beer sounds sweet
We’ve danced in the square
with a man on a flute
and paused on the bridge
watching one with a lute

We’re brought things for the garden
and stationary too
and second-hand clothes
of course, as you do
And best thing of all
and the reason we came
was Cliffe High Street antiques
for some presents again

Three tall iron sculptures
for the garden outside
pre-rusted for us
with iron oxide
And now that we’re done
with Lewes behind
we head back to Brighton
with dinner in mind

Bangers and mash
in the pub on the hill
With plenty of choice
’til we’ve had our fill
An excellent day
it has been for us all
With memories made
we will oft now recall

And the star of the show
for our own Sally Ann
her sixtieth birthday
has been rather grand
Precious these are
these family days
with memories to treasure
in so many ways

©Jemverse

Photo – the three iron garden sculptures we brought at Cliffe High Street antiques centre in Lewes on 16th May 2019, in situ – Jempics

i-360

Went for a flight
in Brighton today
British Airways
but not in a plane
Five hundred feet plus
straight up in the sky
on the i-360
ever so high

Excellent views
of Brighton below
and over to Shoreham
out there on show
Bank holiday Monday
all six together
We always have fun
and will do forever

©Jemverse

Photo – The British Airways i360, a 162-metre (531 ft) observation tower on Brighton seafront – Jempics.

Fire and Glass

Sat a while in Junkyard Dog
to hear the music play
Guitars, fiddle, vocals too
September Saturday

Good conversation flowing
here for private view
Fire drawings by my daughter
Sal’s glass for something new

Junkyard Dog the setting
Artwork from my family
Six Crouchers here together
in Brighton by the sea

©Jemverse

Photo – glass by Sally Croucher; burnt wood drawings by Emily Rose Croucher – Jempics. [Junkyard Dog is a cafe in the Kemp Town area of Brighton, East Sussex, UK]

Got a new pen

What once was Brighton’s bead shop
now sells stationary
Upmarket and pretentious
but good enough for me
For on a shelf, bright colours
a row of writing pens
So I just had to have one
as I do that now and then

It’s rather good for poems
which I write ‘most every day
to capture life in words
and the things I want to say
And just as Gracey said it would
the one she showed me there
writes just like a dream
and is beyond compare

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

Jem’s new hat

Wandered round in Brighton
brought a brand new hat
Blue to match my sunglasses
Sylish (that’s a fact)
Felt much like a rock star
walking round the place
with lovely Brighton people
and a smile upon my face
It only cost a tenner
but it’s not about the price
For Jem’s new hat is perfect
and it’s really rather nice

©Jemverse

Photo – hat shadow play, South Lancing beach, West Sussex – Jempics

Oasis

Sat in St Nicholas’ churchyard
high up on the hill
overlooking Brighton
with all around me still

Sipped a bold, strong coffee
the sunshine breaking through
with history around me
which from my past I knew

There’s change around about of course
new buildings stark and cold
yet Brighton’s essence here remains
quintessentially old

A haven with a tranquil peace
God’s hand is present here
A little bit of heaven
with the bustling city near

©Jemverse

Photo – St Nicholas’ Churchyard, Brighton, East Sussex, UK (founded 1091) – Jempics

Viaduct

The viaduct on London Raod
Brighton, late at night
lit up blue with vibrancy
is a lovely sight

High above the city streets
with Victorian pride
to carry trains up there on which
so many people ride

But down here close to midnight
just a passing car
and me with phone to capture
this spectacular

©Jemverse

The London Road Viaduct, Brighton, East Sussex was built in 1845-6 by James Orpeth Rastick. It has 27 arches and is now grade II listed. Photo – Jempics

Spectral

Spectral and outworldly
the lights up in the sky
Here on Brighton seafront
as at night I wander by
The i-360 tower
a carbuncle to some
remains a star attraction
and brings a lot of fun

©Jemverse

Photo – Brighton’s i-360 tower and pod, Kings Road, Brighton, UK – the world’s tallest moving observation tower at 138 metres – Jempics

Bob Marley Seagull (reprise)

1 of 6 in the Jemverse ‘Seagull’ series

It was raining in Brighton
and, strolling back to the car
parked there in Ann Street
from the centre, not far
We paused to admire
on the wall, ‘cross the way
some graffiti scrawled quickly
but with something to say

And in contemplative mood
we pondered the depth
penned by those words
whilst at our feet, quite perplexed
A young seagull ran by
so as not to intrude
For to spoil this fine moment
would have bordered on rude

Was there metaphor here?
Bob would have been proud
‘No woman, no cry’
is still shouting loud

©Jemverse

Photo – Ann Street Graffiti, Brighton, Sussex, UK – Jempics

‘Bob Marley Seagull‘ was originally posted on Jemverse on 25 July 2017

Pixelated Smile

On Rose Hill Close in Brighton
on the corner by the wall
A pixelated smiley face
colourful but small
we spied as we were waiting
for the traffic lights to change
Not something you see every day
it really was quite strange

No clue as to its purpose
but maybe that’s the thing
Just a little cheerfulness
some merriment to bring
If so then it has done its job
with flair and even style
As for us when we drove by it
it brought to each a smile

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics (The pixelated smiley face is cemented to the wall on Rose Hill Close)