CLINGING ON AT PORTHTOWAN... (My new poem about a stonechat, battling a strong wind...)

 Clinging On At Porthtowan…

The final lashings of a sea storm, still wicked and strong,

Blew rampant across the west cliff’s coast path

At Porthtowan, the embers of a monstrous and long

Onslaught by a wild gale, which gloated on its wrath…

Wildlife was scarce, other than rowdy bunches of crows,

Gulls swooping and banking on the rough draughts of bluster

And low-flying, sleek gannets, watchful of fish flows,

 All a cloudy Sunday mid-morning could muster…

Until, that is, I caught sight of a single stonechat female,

Touching down upon a windswept, flailing hedge

And she held her balance, blown and shaken by the gale,  

Her feathers lifted, dishevelled, as if about to fledge… 

Pete Ray

5th October 2025…

A long walk from Porthtowan to the stack which remains at Wheal Tye on the coast path, revealed little in the way of wildlife, no doubt hunkering down because of the powerful wind, which had beleaguered the coast for two days.

Finally, on the return stroll, battered by gusts, I saw the stonechat and despite her precarious perch, she seemed to wait until I had photographed her before flying away…