After the storm

After the storm
on the beach the tideline
has made its mark on the stones
with seaweed lines
drawn free and wild
a calming now atones

For all last night
its temper raged
a tantrum fierce and wild
yet now it smiles
calm and serene
the sea and weather mild

After the storm
I capture this
for inspiration here
as it provides
a sustenance
which I have long held dear

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

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Shingle

4 of 6 in the Jemverse ‘Shoreham’ series

The shingle covered beaches
mightn’t be your cup of tea
But they’re all a part of Sussex
so that’s good enough for me
You might prefer the feel of sand
Well Shoreham has that too
For at low tide there’s great expanse
extending from the land

And the shingle has its treasures
revealed from time to time
A lovely bit of driftwood
or a seashell rare and fine
But best of all for me at least
are the pebbles which I find
Especially the ones with holes
to which I am inclined

So whenever I am down there
(a lot I’ll have you know)
I’ll search for one which has a hole
and homeward it will go
Shingle treasures cherished
and kept in easy reach
Tactile and quite beautiful
and found on Shoreham beach

©Jemverse

 

Contented treads…

Walking slowly on the shingle
the crunching ‘neath my feet
as pebbles slip and slide
and tideline flotsam
with my roving eyeline meet

Crossing sea-sculpted grounds
the distant shoreline fades
as tide comes in
and lapping waves
with salted sand-scape trades

This is my beach, my haven
my extra-special place
as contented treads
and all will know
with smiles on my face

©Jemverse

A certain privilege

At sunset the beach huts
the darkening sky
the almost silent sound
of a gull passing by
On the shingle we wander
watching the sea
A slackened tide turning
a good place to be
And the honour’s not lost
of this easy reach
And the privilege we have
living close to the beach

©Jemverse

Beach blues

Took myself for a walk on the beach
for an hour at lunchtime today
There were seagulls out there sunbathing
and blue flowers on display

The Sea Lane cafe was buzzing
with folks having tea in the sun
There were people out walking their dogs
who were all on the beach having fun

And I smiled as I saw this whilst walking
a five mile circle today
With the seagulls, the sea and the shingle
and the blue flowers I saw on the way

©Jemverse

Knapweed the Greater

I have a bolthole on the beach
and you’ll often find me there
Gazing at the open sea
oft with a pensive stare

There are flowers on the shingle
Knapweed is one of these
Purple in the summer months
and a favourite for bees

They say it is the greater
and it stands with poise and grace
wearing purple on its regal crown
by the ocean in this place

©Jemverse

As above, so below

As above, so here below
blue sky and deep blue sea
The gently turning silent waves
creep up to welcome me
In this place, that sweetest voice
sings out the quiet refrain
as on this shingle here I stand
upon my beach again

©Jemverse

Kissed by moving water

Kissed by moving water
gentle, sometimes strong
shingle moves the shifting sand
to the ocean’s song

©Jemverse

Bracklesham Bay

Horses in the water
Tide upon the turn
People having cups of tea
October sunshine burn

On the shingle, fossil hunters
Carefully turn each stone
Searching for a special thing
To treasure and take home

The sea is lapping gently
Beach full of passers by
Everyone enjoying
A day ‘neath clear blue sky

At Bracklesham the bay
Reaches out around the coast
Somewhere else to wander
In the place we love the most

©Jemverse

Sea of Heart

Sun glare on the water
staring out to sea
Caught up in a moment
completely blissfully

Familiar scent of harbour
feint upon the air
Reminds me of my childhood
and all the years spent there

Familiar crunch of shingle
underneath my feet
On a beach in Sussex
here I am complete

The shoreline’s friendly whisper
my essence here in part
The sea is deep within my soul
and also in my heart

©Jemverse

Of the trilogy:
Sea of Child (1st October 2015)
Sea of Heart (2nd October 2015)
Sea of Sometime (3 October 2015)