in the concrete rockpools
of wave-worn beach defences
tumbled pill boxes, tank traps,
I cradle fossilised fish scales
sea glass, the bones of dinosaurs
stanzas from prehistory
held in my palm.
Church bells ring a sailor’s knell
six fathoms deep
wrecked ships
rot under marker buoys.
Once, a man
walking the coast road to Out Newton
morning-times
saw the head-ends of coffins
protruding from the muddy cliff, jutting
out over the seething water below
brass plates glinting like gold teeth
sand-martins perched on vacant handles
and the kittiwakes shrill like children
collecting bones from the clay
The original poem and comments can be found here
of wave-worn beach defences
tumbled pill boxes, tank traps,
I cradle fossilised fish scales
sea glass, the bones of dinosaurs
stanzas from prehistory
held in my palm.
Church bells ring a sailor’s knell
six fathoms deep
wrecked ships
rot under marker buoys.
Once, a man
walking the coast road to Out Newton
morning-times
saw the head-ends of coffins
protruding from the muddy cliff, jutting
out over the seething water below
brass plates glinting like gold teeth
sand-martins perched on vacant handles
and the kittiwakes shrill like children
collecting bones from the clay
The original poem and comments can be found here
It could be worse