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Friday 17 January 2014

BRACKLESHAM BAY IN JANUARY



This is not how I remember it:
last summer both sea and sky were blue
and children's laughter filled the air
like morning birdsong, while grownups in swimsuits
lay on the beach toasting their fair skin
to a deep shade of raw.

Today, there's just one man
walking his dog. He stares through me,
his heavy boots crunch, crunch, crunching by -
at least, I assume it's a he - I can see no more
than a pair of eyes peering out
from beneath hat, balaclava and overcoat.

All I can smell and taste is salt.
At my feet, the freezing weed-bearded sea
seems to reach out to me
in waves that long to share secret memories
of bygone days and forgotten lives.
Ssh! Are those hoof beats I hear thundering along the shoreline

above the sound of the restless surf?
My heartbeats race to catch you up.
A time warp engulfs us both:
suddenly, I'm riding behind you on your grey mare,
my arms wrapped tightly around your waist, as I watch
your white linen shirt billowing

like a spinnaker in the balmy wind
and the horse's hooves throwing up clumps of wet sand.
I'm gripped by an ecstasy of anticipation.
The sun dancing on the surface of the water is dazzling.
I close my eyes and we touch Souls...
across a chasm of ninety years.

22 comments:

  1. oh my gosh sometimes you just take my breath away, you are so magnificent

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    1. Oh that is so kind, Lorraine...your words mean so much! xxx

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    2. Hi Lorraine...just waned to let you know I am still reading and viewing your beautiful posts...but I am still unable to leave comments :/

      I hope you are having a great week.
      Hugs xxx

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  2. smiles...someone had been reading romance novels....bareback, white shirt rippling...smiles...ah the anticipation of doing it again, that can def overwhelm...smiles...the sea has such a pull on me...i love its rhythm...

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  3. i just caught the 90 years thing...that puts a bit different perspective to it as well...

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    1. Haha...the reading of romance novels...never been my thing!
      I am a more a fan of the horror genre *smiles*
      Yes...I love the sea too...all the year round.
      Funny how it appears to completely change it's character depending on the season you visit.
      This particular beach is very special to me...I won't bore you with the story...it is a pretty long one...will just leave you with the hints above!!
      Many thanks Brian :)

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    2. thats ok, i like a bit of mystery....smiles..
      and i enjoy my horror as well...

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    3. So good to find a fellow horror fan :)

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  4. So good, good enough to feel I was living through you on the same shore. And then the thoughts, the images… I have them, through, these winter months on closer shores.
    The end had me remembering my grandmother reciting The Highwayman by A. Noyes.
    Thank you

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    1. Oh I LOVE that poem...it is one of my all time favourites!
      I first read it as a child, and it has stuck in my memory ever since.

      There is something about the beach in winter, isn't there...that wonderful isolation and sense of peace...until the sound of hoofbeats reaches your ears, of course! *smiles*

      Many thanks Anthony :)

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  5. Mr Allen? ;-)

    "the freezing weed-bearded sea" - nice!

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    1. Ah...yes...I sometimes think you know me inside out, TUG! *smiles*

      Thank you so much...you give me such encouragement :)

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  6. I really the transition from the memory of last summer to the current scene...beautiful work.

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    1. Oh thank you Keith...so much!
      On that beach, out of season, it often feels like time stands still.
      I could stay forever...:)

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  7. So much talent...what a gift you possess, Ygraine...beautiful~~~

    Hugs,
    Jan

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    1. Thank you Jan...from the depths of my heart.
      I so appreciate your support...

      Hugs xxx

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  8. It would be great if we could go back in time wouldn't it? the pictures your words leave me to contemplate are so magical! Fantastic writing Ygraine :)

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  9. Oh definitely, Rose!!
    If only we could take the entire being as well as just the mind...aah...such rapture...*smiles*
    Thank you so much :)

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  10. There's a beautiful meditative element in your poem. I live the ambiguity of that man/woman. Just like the scenery. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Many thanks for your kind words...I so appreciate that:)

      Have a great weekend :)

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  11. Hi, Ygraine...I just thought that I would let you know that I changed the name and URL of my blog from "From Grandma's Cottage" to http://iwouldlikeawordwithyou.blogspot.com/
    Since Blogger/Google will not fix my blog to where I can upload photos in my postings...I've named my blog appropriately to "I Would Like a Word With You" :)

    Hugs
    Jan
    xoxoxo

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    1. Many thanks Jan...yes, Blogger has been having some pretty strange quirks recently, hasn't it!
      It was great to finally get a comment on your post - at least, I hope it has gone on there?!
      I will return to check it out shortly!

      Hugs xxx

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I really appreciate hearing your opinions...:)