Sunday, 24 November 2024

LOW TIDE, BATHING MACHINES & COWS ON THE BEACH... (My new poem about Saltburn-by-the-Sea, old & new...)

 Low Tide, Bathing Machines & Cows On The Beach…



A silhouetted, spindly pier paddles in the face of the North Sea

At low tide, its waves turning with little threat or turmoil.

Bathing machines hauled to the ocean’s edge by a tired horse

Line up like chariots at the Circus Maximus in ancient Rome

And shadows hint at summer sunlight, as folks relax on the beach.

Incongruously, a herd of cows stands idle for the camera’s sake

And a cart suggests seaweed collecting by farmers for improving their soil… 


The silhouetted, current pier reflects historic damage to some degree,

Its strengthened flat head for storm damage now a considerable foil.

Beach huts huddle along the promenade, like a defensive force

In a myriad of colours against the tide’s lashings, wild and foulsome.

Spring sunshine daubs blue sky as far as the camera’s zoom could reach,

Whilst no cattle are loitering and there is little seaweed to take

From the tidy seashore’s piles of stones and spoil… 



Pete Ray

24th November 2024…




Comparing Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire from an old image, possibly Edwardian, with my own images, taken in 2020, 2023 and 2024…





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