The shingle beach

is cold to the touch

hard on the feet

not easy to lay on

so we bring blankets

and a flask of tea

and there we sit

till the tide rolls in.

 

At low tide

the children build castles

where the shingle gives way

to smooth, wet sand.

Skimming pebbles,

they paddle in the sea

then trudge up the shingle

for a bite of tea.

 

Fishermen say

the easterly wind

around these parts

if good for the fish.

All night they sit

with rods poised, in winter,

patiently waiting

for the slightest

pull on the quivering line.

The farthest point east,

this coastline is rugged

and unrelenting.

In winter you freeze.

In summer, the north-east wind

coming straight off the water

can burn you,

even on overcast days.

 

Sometimes,

on a summer evening

when calm blue sea

meets cobalt sky

and all you can hear

is a seagull's cry,

This stretch of the coast

is a mystical place.

Timeless, ageless

a place that I love.