Jury's Gap
(for Jill Creton)
in summer this place is
drenched in a brilliant blue whiteness by dawn
in winter it’s coffin black by tea
the gulls follow their daily routine
skimming over pebbles
that huddle together for warmth
screeching like lost children
through pylons & out across the rifle ranges
where soldiers wipe wind tears from their eyes
diving into the shallow gravel pits
where their lonely music echoes
the wind does as the wind must
it bites at the window frames
throws up its tiny specks of sand
to tear at the eyes
pounce at the throat
season chases season yet the wind keeps up
& each year the land - this flat uncaring land -
sprawls & edges closer & closer
to the Channel’s cold grey water
& yes our lives move with it
in a way we can’t contain
our children will move with it too - and theirs
for these are the instructions we ‘re given
yet you & your family are holding firm
- strong walls against the tidal drift
remember that the sea can only reflect another’s
colour
so may it always catch the blue of your eyes
Page(s) 8
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