Everything to me

Looking through to Shoreham
‘cross the river from the beach
reminds me of the fortune
I have here in easy reach
Equidistant from the downs
to the beauty of the sea
this little town where here I live
is everything to me

Pink Moon

The moonlight on the water
caught me by surprise
made me simply stop and stare
and open wide my eyes

For here there was a marvel
unparalleled and fine
and on the beach down here this evening
it was entirely mine

Little for perfecting

Across the bridge over the Adur
at night with lights reflecting
This view across to Shoreham Beach
needs little for perfecting

As a seagull again

7 of 7 in the Jemverse series ‘Shoreham again’

As a seagull I flew inland from the sea
Up in a yellow-tinged sky
Looking down with the freedom I commanded in flight
as I swooped and I soared up on high

I watched as the river meandered below
Through the town I am proud to call home
with its cluster of houses gathered close to the sea
over routes I have so often flown

This river again

6 of 7 in the Jemverse series ‘Shoreham again’

In this river’s silted tributaries
Navigation now
Reserved for smallish river craft
Low of beam and bow
And yet, two hundred years ago
Galleons here were made
Crafted beams at Bramber
Where many keels were laid
Such changing times of commerce
The Adur’s here provided
For this fishing port of Shoreham
Which by the sea has long resided

Shoreham Airport again

5 of 7 in the Jemverse series ‘Shoreham again’

Shoreham Airport’s terminal building
The oldest in the land
Is getting a new makeover
To make it fresh and grand

It’s 1930’s facade fell into
a terrible state
With peeling paint and cracks in walls
But soon it will look great

Walking contented again

4 of 7 in the Jemverse series ‘Shoreham again’

These cobbled lanes, a thousand years
Where countless souls have trod
This hallowed ground where now I walk
On sparkling dew-clad sod

This sleepy town, its flinted walls
Where fisherfolk resided
And the comfort that the parish church
Reliably provided

St Mary de Haura again

3 of 7 in the Jemverse series ‘Shoreham again’

The river Adur’s changing course
To its tidal estuary
Bereft now of its shipping past
As it meets the changing sea

The oyster beds lie barren now
Their commerce lost to time
But St Mary’s bells in beacon tower
Still regularly chime

Glowing again

2 of 7 in the Jemverse series ‘Shoreham again’

Ethereal glow hangs over Shoreham
Through the mist, ‘neath yellow skies
With the promise of September warmth
The sleeping town in silence lies

‘Neath the bridge the river water
Meanders slowly to the sea
Boats lopsided in the shallows
Oyster Catchers in their lee

Shoreham by the sea again

1 of 7 in the Jemverse series ‘Shoreham again’

I have a beach of shingle mixed
With golden sea-washed sand
Its grandeur and its mystery
Forged by God’s own hand
I have a river winding through
The valley from the sea
Its tidal water carrying
Swans and seabirds oft to me

This town of mine

Someone sent a photograph
of how it used to be
Shoreham when I was a lad
Evoked a memory

Magnificent II revisited

5 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

Long shadows with October
the days dawn cold and bright
and the sunshine in the eastern sky
provides a gorgeous sight
Glinting on the water
and magnificently gold
Rising over Shoreham beach
to the river in the cold

To end a perfect day

To end a perfect day
we walked along the beach
our small dog running free and proud
the sea in easy reach
The shadow of the sun
spread gold across the sky
A fitting end to perfect day
as together we strolled by

Watersoft

This water soft
beneath my feet
lapping gently
feeling sweet
It is a comfort
solace, more
down at the edge
of this seashore

Cherry blossom lovely

The cherry blossom’s in full bloom
on the allotment in the sun
as I sit here and write a while
now the strimming is all done
The grass grows quick this time of year
so I’m down here quite a bit
with spare batteries in my bag
in case the good ones quit

First Bluebells

Saw my first bluebells
in the sunshine today
Quite close to the river
down Old Shoreham way

Jumping Patterdales

Walking on the riverbank
with a jumping Patterdale
On a sunday afternoon
with a waggy tail
He’s happy to be there
as are we this lovely day
The old Tollbridge behind us
for a wander and a play

Every Breaking Wave revisited

No 11 of 12 in the Jemverse series ‘Back to the sea’

With every breaking wave
I see a part of me
My life down here in Sussex
In Shoreham by the sea
So taciturn, its nuances
Reflect the changing years
An echo to my lost and loved
My joy, my smiles, my tears

I watched the sea revisited

No.2 of 12 in the Jemverse series ‘Back to the sea’

I watched the sea
It did me proud
I smiled at it
Then laughed out loud
The warming sun
Bright in my face
On Shoreham beach
My special place

A Sussex view

Sun sets on a winter sea
Golden ‘cross wet sand
as we go walking at low tide
as lovers, hand in hand

A walk on the beach

It’s the day before Christmas
so a walk on the beach
seems like a plan
as it’s in easy reach

And tradition would have it
that on this day every year
All Crouchers together
go walking with cheer

Same

More than fifty years on
and the smell on the air
is the same to me now
as it was way back there
That of sea and the tar
and the pitch and the oil
and the sweat and the grime
from the long days of toil

Bliss II

Across wet sand
as evening falls
the sea a whisper
silence calls
And here stand I
to witness this
exquisite moment
born of bliss

These Streets…

These streets are mine
a thousand times I tread them every day
I know them well, I hold them dear
with words I cannot say

These streets are mine
Familiar, I know them every one
be that when cold and raining
or brighter in the sun

On built up embankments

Standing on built up embankments
for a moment or two at midday
It’s a pleasure to see the old oyster beds
and seabirds out there at play

Sheep may safely graze

Bach, three hundred years ago
wrote an aria for some sheep
with words by Salomon Frank
full of meaning, rich and deep

Sheep may safely graze and pasture
and they do still to this day
as we approach the roundabout
down here round Shoreham way

Seagulls Passing (reprise)

2 of 6 in the Jemverse ‘Seagulls’ series

Sitting in the sunshine
by the river at high tide
A seagull came and perched
on the railings by my side
We had a little chat
as it seemed the thing to do
Passing a few pleasantries
before away he flew

Pleasure to bring

Went for a walk
in the town where I live
It’s still got attraction
and plenty to give

And I sill get a buzz
when I’m walking down here
It brings a warm feeling
and plenty of cheer