Hello and welcome!

I’m experimenting with this here Substack today. Several writers I know are using it so I thought I’d give it a try. I have an idea of posting an unpublished poem once a week accompanied by a bit of chat about the poem, life, the universe and everything.

I’m starting with this one about Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire, since it’s one my favourite places in the world and I visited it last weekend with family. I wrote the poem years ago but you won’t have seen it before unless you’ve been one of the many incompetent judges of poetry competitions I’ve submitted it to.

I’m not sure if this post will reach anyone at all, so if you read it please leave some sort of comment, even if it’s just “Hi”. I’m not bothered if you don’t like my poem, in fact I like people to tell me why if that is the case. I’ve always said, the only thing that offends me is when my poems are ignored.

That’s all for now. Have a good weekend!

Bempton Cliffs

I zoom out the focus, plunge through seabirds plying

back from infinity to roister around the cliffs.

Jackdaws Jack!, razorbills hack coughs,

guillemots cackle above the background sighing

of North Sea breakers ramping up from their troughs.

I vault the safety rail and clutch at truths,

tumbling into this babble past undying

flames of campion ranked along chalk grooves,

but want for words - whichever one I choose,

it fails to replicate the underlying

wafts of fish, the discords which diffuse

between blue sky and deep blue foaming fizz.

Ki-ti-waake!,  the kittiwakes are crying

and all of nature roars out what it is.