over whelm
over whelm
over reach
over stretched
over tired
over wrought
over achieving
over shot
over me
over and over and over
waves rise
crash
surge
pull
suck
pull
sink
gasping
beached
washed up
bedraggled
snaggled
shingle scratched
rock bruised
seaweed slimed
rest still
breathe
dry
feel the sand
see each grain
smell … Read more
Shadows
Shadows
Shin deep,
hands filled with flailing
suffocating fish
I see dark shadows
and call others to see.
Wrist to elbow long,
they dart skilfully,
herding their prey toward the shore
where then they must either turn into the waiting jaws
or die flipping
ever more slowly
on the rain damp
shore.
Mackerel
chasing whitebait.… Read more
The fisherman
The fisherman
Shivering from the sea,
I squat and watch
as the line trembles
then arches,
Tense.
His dog nuzzles my hands and I am grateful for the warmth
as we watch the line cut
an arc towards us.
Breaking the waves
Solid muscle thrashing,
Flipping,
Turning inwards on itself
tricked by the… Read more
Mermaids
Mermaids
From the waves I see them,
Three women, engrossed in each other’s laughter.
They take a selfie,
Arms wrapping each other closely,
Laughing
Heads flung back
Hearts open.
I emerge to the shingle
And cover myself in my pink towel tent
And as I do
they strip,
flinging clothes into a pile
layer after … Read more
Today I swam with a shoal of fish
Today I swam with a shoal of fish
along an English shore.
I paid no attention to the fishermen in their tiny tents
escaping who knows what
or maybe just content to gaze out to sea.
I arrived at dawn across the tiny, glistening circles of crunching stone
and sighed sadly to see the silver… Read more
The Tower
I am standing by a dark, black, stone sea,
where nothing lives
no reflection sees.
They tell me they used to swim in it
but now there are merely
tourists behind a rope,
dipping distant fingers
into the icy
ink.
I turn to walk the path into the red-brick, splendid town,
Where the proud, clock … Read more