A LAZY NARRATIVE

I live on the coast of south west England and I often walk along the sea shore. Who would not? The sea is amazing. I often just sit and look at the waves. Once I watched two people search amongst the waves for something, I have no idea what. Out of that observation came this poem.

INCIDENT

it is a lazy narrative to gift water agency

the depths did not desire that thin gold band

the sea did not take the ring of my mother

let me offer this instead

that I had decided on one final dip

as October ran towards winter

the intense cold triggered biological responses

blood retreated to maintain my core

capillaries contracted

and the ring always a loose fit

was gone before I knew it

so that when I searched

the view was murk and weed

my numb fingers read the rocks

sieved the sand

hunted for that familiar

the autumn tide was high and wild

and if I could have ladled it all away

spoon by spoonful I would

I waited it out

returned each day to search the empty beach

I still feel the loss

It is a straight forward narrative. I have no idea what the couple were looking for but the poem wrote itself. 

Here's a very old song. Peter Hammill from 1975 with Shingle Song.

Until next time.