Places

Here is some "poetry" I was inspired to write in 1997 when I was backpacking around SW England.

Little Dartmouth
The river estuary disappears behind the hills towards a hidden castle,
past hills clothed in bushes of orange
and tenacious trees that cling to the sea coast below.
Grassy fields slope up and away,
as a solitary yacht heads out to sea
between islands of rock.
A buzzard swoops and soars and sea gulls pass on open wings.
Little birds chatter from the hedges and trees.
The sun warms the nip in the breeze.
I sit.
Content.


The Sleepy Village
Soaking up the morning sun on a bus-stop bench, my eyes follow the River Dart
past yachts and ferries and fishing boats.
Behind me, Dartmouth yawns and stretches
savouring her peace
before the steam train arrives
to pour forth her torrent of tourists.
Next to me, an elderly couple passes gentle comments to and fro,
while men lazily man their boat cruise kiosks along the bank.


South Sands
The river embraces her estuary
before spreading into a vast, open sea.
Fluffy clouds float as calm in the quiet sky
as the boats on the blue waters below.
At my feet, the tropical garden explodes
into  green hues  of every shade.
Birds celebrate the close of day
with their chirps and twitters as
the subtle scent of sweet flowers
wisps through the air.


The Cove
Nestled between rocky shores
lies a beach of soft sand and speckled pebbles
with a tangled border of sea weed along the water's edge.
The sea  is a sparkling, emerald green with a stab of red
where a little boat bobs on rhythmic waves.
The entrance to the beach is steep and rugged
over weather eroded rocks and earth.
Scantily clothed in grass and flowers, the earth pokes through, here and there,
like scalp on a balding head.


Salty Pebbles
Pebbles at the water's edge - a multitude of sizes and rounded shapes.
Some speckled, some unblemished and glistening wet in the sun.
The sea slides over the pebbles on its little surges up the beach, surging forwards, then sighing back in retreat.
I put a tiny round pebble in my mouth and taste its salty smoothness.
My senses are enthralled by the beauty of this place, far from the world's gaze.