In Regency Square
where once stood the Pier
Victorian splendour
still evident here
but time has moved on
and the 360 high
is now the feature
high up in the sky
Yet standing here now
the future I hold
is recalling the heyday
('cos yes, I'm that old)
when the West Pier still stood
as a visual feast
besting the new one
a mile to the east
So this morning, leaving Brighton
after breakfast in the sun
we saw two old cars passing
on the annual 'old crocks' run
Both brought a smile, they always do
these cars of yesteryear
with drivers dressed up to the nines
quite cold but full of cheer
And not alone our spirits raised
as people stopped to wave
the veterans as they chugged past
a memory to save
Brighton's Dome, a place I've missed
whilst Covid's kept us in
for live music's long hiatus
which has bordered on a sin
But though the virus is still with us
freedom has now found a way
to open up the doors again
'Thank Goodness' hear me say!
As last week with good friends I'd not seen
for two long years returned
to Brighton's Dome for a live gig
a treat we all have earned
Had a Mangolicious Laines
a lovely IPA
fruity and refreshing
at the end of a long day
Eating at the Open House
all my girls and me
and a lovely Wolfgang
for a delicious tea
Last brunch today so IPA
featured as it should
along with a veggie breakfast
from the menu which looked good
Shared with jocund company
conversation for a smile
here at our Al Campo
where we come once in a while
Monday lunchtimes at Al Campo
watching life go past
the windows open to the world
with summer here at last
The sunshine's really hot out there
but no one is complaining
as the start of summers' overdue
from all the Maytime raining
Soaring up to deepest blue
the i-360 there
as dwarfed beneath its structure
I turn my head and stare
The 'doughnut' glistens in the sun
high up there in the sky
as tourists take their pictures
as they're taken way up high
Though truth be told I always would
prefer the old West Pier
this is still a fitting tribute to
the Brighton that's still here
Walked along the promenade
from Hove to Brighton town
the sunshine warm with summer
come to take away the frown
Very many people there
all walking in the sun
celebrating here in unison
that summer's truly come
The sea reflected blue of sky
the breeze a whisper there
the mood one of exuberance
in which we all could share
And as we ambled there we six
in jocund company
enjoyed our promenading
in Sussex by the sea
You'd never think from how it looks
that many years ago
the boards of this forgotten pier
I walked down oft and slow
Derelict for forty years
and then destroyed by fire
the skeletal remains now stand
as its last funeral pyre
Brighton's West Pier still it's called
but you'll need imagination
to picture once how grand it was
from this last iteration
A day out in Lewes
with the girls in the sun
Browsing antique shops
and all having fun
Here for Sal’s sixtieth
Celebrations start here
Two months for us all
in this special year
What once was Brighton’s bead shop
now sells stationary
Upmarket and pretentious
but good enough for me
For on a shelf, bright colours
a row of writing pens
So I just had to have one
as I do that now and then
Wandered round in Brighton
brought a brand new hat
Blue to match my sunglasses
Sylish (that’s a fact)
Felt much like a rock star
walking round the place
with lovely Brighton people
and a smile upon my face
Spectral and outworldly
the lights up in the sky
Here on Brighton seafront
as at night I wander by
The i-360 tower
a carbuncle to some
remains a star attraction
and brings a lot of fun
It was raining in Brighton
and, strolling back to the car
parked there in Ann Street
from the centre, not far
We paused to admire
on the wall, ‘cross the way
some graffiti scrawled quickly
but with something to say
On Rose Hill Close in Brighton
on the corner by the wall
A pixelated smiley face
colourful but small
we spied as we were waiting
for the traffic lights to change
Not something you see every day
it really was quite strange
It was raining in Brighton
and, strolling back to the car
parked there in Ann Street
from the centre, not far
We paused to admire
on the wall, ‘cross the way
some graffiti scrawled quickly
but with something to say
Against the blue the old Town Hall
with yellow ochre walls
Declares aloud his history
from ageing hallowed halls
In Brighton now amidst the new
it stands aloof to change
Whilst all around the architects
make plans to rearrange
Poet's Corner 