Daylight and Darkness,
and what holds inside
in those moments of insecurity,
so that nothing can ever be just one of those
ordinary moments
of ordinary lives.
Instead in its place, beauty
must be made immeasurable.
Inspiration to be drawn from
the flattest of landscapes under
the dullest of skies.
As if there was some kind of absolution
to be found hidden in the
bleak swelling tears of the ocean,
or from the tyre tracks and broken
bottles meshed into the sand and stones
in this parking space.
A solitary shag holds out its wings
beside a derelict pier, and beyond,
a figure in red, just a vertical stroke
in an expanse of grey, with
an attendant shadow, someone
with a dog, out gathering wildness, as
a talisman against an unruly world.
The rusting hulk of a crane, squats in
the weeds before hillsides of relentless emptiness,
and there is rain in the face, and sand in
the wind, and as you turn to go to
the car - even if you were ultimately
removed from this view, these
cycles would still remain the
miracle of life.
JS Parker 2006