Porthia
.........
Porthminster - high tide
.........
Almost full tide.
.........
The harbour's filled:
fishing-boat-bobbing
is enabled.
.........
Jetties are surrounded. Boats
test their rope leashes. Luggers
and other sail craft flow out and in.
.........
Gulls bounce where the Stennack dribbles
into the bay, headed at The Arts Club
the same speed as the counter current.
.........
Wind takes much of our noise to sea,
brown fields of air above brown field water,
making the motor boats magical.
.........
Further out
in converging channels
predatory small boats
one or two within
stooped
and patient
.........
trappist quiet
.........
a heath group of them
like spiders where shrubs begin to intertwine
.........
Horizon watery
.........
White tops, and white birds over
.........
The strong arm of the clock
slides upwards to eleven
propelled propelling
.........
and then down
.........
and then back up
towards midday
which shall come
reliable enough
regular
.........
my watch a little fast
.........
my own time lagging
.........
.........
.........
Porthmeor - low tide
.........
porth a landing place
hence an incurving, sheltered and accessible stretch of coast
.
porth meor the large, the great, perhaps the best
landing place
.........the great harbour
.........though here were built few harbours
.
a white froth line, signifying untransmitted sound
.
Porthmeor Beach language canalised
almost as tautologous as "Castle an dinas" -
you'll be rooked here -
no boat in the offing
no ropes or chains
wet sands
and hordes with hoards including furniture
.........some surfers, penguin-ungainly
.........wind breaks
..................oriented randomly
.........or built as pens
.........ground sheets of considerable extent
..................grumpy and aggressive upon them
.........special trolleys to carry their organic copies
..................learning to contain their imaginations..................
..................and constrict their self-expression
.........beach gowns
.........beach sandals
.........beach towels, large and small
.........large bags
..................containing wipes and drinks
..................and sandwiches and jumpers
couples
stable and unstable threesomes
and groups
and isolated ones, upright and separate like grave monuments
.........there are tents
..................one with a Cornish flag unfluttering upon it
.........there are tents that one might live in for a month or so
..................radios, to cure the boredom of the world's noise
..................airbeds, untested for seaworthiness
..................metal-framed chairs and tables
.................. .........to facilitate each meal
.
they don't stay long as individuals
there is nothing much to do
cameras provide more interest than the subject filmed
.
crabs and the like have been stoned and crushed
.
gulls wait on lamppost tops and rush for the refuse
......... ......... ......... .........ripping at carrier bags
.
west upon a piece of higher sand, a dozen play a form of cricket
there was one there yesterday
I ate an apple
and watched a crow inspect the core
looked up and it was over
the players no longer on the beach
mid-view
a life guard
propped
in a powered
buggy
surrounded by surfboards lying flat
like fish of unexpected colour, drying
|