Margaret Perry
Sea Song
For Amy-Dora Evans, 1906-2000
In early light you ran across the beach
toes slapping, carefree, on firm furrowed sand
to splash along the creamy tide
watching the wild birds dive and ride
out in the sea swell, while a brilliant band
of sunlight gilded waves around your feet.
The tender dreams of love you longed to share
crumbled on sand, your castles swept away
by storming tides of War, and fear
when, uninvited, death drew near,
and digging in to hold the line each day
became your living, breathing, fervent care.
With pride you watched your childrens’ children grow
and saw them safe by rocky pool and ledge.
You danced with them among the dunes
to all the old remembered tunes
of harsh gull cries, the sea wind’s keening edge,
the shingle singing in the ebb and flow.
Now, sitting quiet in your cushioned chair,
you still stare out to sea, the vision veiled
in mist. Your eyes’ pale watery discs
mirror the sun’s faint obelisk
or, choosing to view the pictures in your head,
you sleep, the sea fret silvering your hair.
toes slapping, carefree, on firm furrowed sand
to splash along the creamy tide
watching the wild birds dive and ride
out in the sea swell, while a brilliant band
of sunlight gilded waves around your feet.
The tender dreams of love you longed to share
crumbled on sand, your castles swept away
by storming tides of War, and fear
when, uninvited, death drew near,
and digging in to hold the line each day
became your living, breathing, fervent care.
With pride you watched your childrens’ children grow
and saw them safe by rocky pool and ledge.
You danced with them among the dunes
to all the old remembered tunes
of harsh gull cries, the sea wind’s keening edge,
the shingle singing in the ebb and flow.
Now, sitting quiet in your cushioned chair,
you still stare out to sea, the vision veiled
in mist. Your eyes’ pale watery discs
mirror the sun’s faint obelisk
or, choosing to view the pictures in your head,
you sleep, the sea fret silvering your hair.
Page(s) 31
magazine list
- Features
- zines
- 10th Muse
- 14
- Acumen
- Agenda
- Ambit
- Angel Exhaust
- ARTEMISpoetry
- Atlas
- Blithe Spirit
- Borderlines
- Brando's hat
- Brittle Star
- Candelabrum
- Cannon's Mouth, The
- Chroma
- Coffee House, The
- Dream Catcher
- Equinox
- Erbacce
- Fabric
- Fire
- Floating Bear, The
- French Literary Review, The
- Frogmore Papers, The
- Global Tapestry
- Grosseteste Review
- Homeless Diamonds
- Interpreter's House, The
- Iota
- Journal, The
- Lamport Court
- London Magazine, The
- Magma
- Matchbox
- Matter
- Modern Poetry in Translation
- Monkey Kettle
- Moodswing
- Neon Highway
- New Welsh Review
- North, The
- Oasis
- Obsessed with pipework
- Orbis
- Oxford Poetry
- Painted, spoken
- Paper, The
- Pen Pusher Magazine
- Poetry Cornwall
- Poetry London
- Poetry London (1951)
- Poetry Nation
- Poetry Review, The
- Poetry Salzburg Review
- Poetry Scotland
- Poetry Wales
- Private Tutor
- Purple Patch
- Quarto
- Rain Dog
- Reach Poetry
- Review, The
- Rialto, The
- Second Aeon
- Seventh Quarry, The
- Shearsman
- Smiths Knoll
- Smoke
- South
- Staple
- Strange Faeces
- Tabla Book of New Verse, The
- Thumbscrew
- Tolling Elves
- Ugly Tree, The
- Weyfarers
- Wolf, The
- Yellow Crane, The