Thursday, 1 May 2014

Seals Near Sizewell


Written after taking a short break on the Suffolk coast – one of the nearer sea-side locations to our home just north of Cambridge (UK).

After a grey morning, we cycled in hazy afternoon sun along a low-traffic road, then across some heathland until the path was barred to the public. At that point we abandoned the bikes and followed narrow path down to the beach from where we could see Sizewell nuclear power station, perhaps a little over a mile away.

Looking out on a wide, grey sea, we  were surprised by…

Seals Near Sizewell.
Deserted shingle beach.
Infinite acres of seething sea.
Unexpectedly,
two cannonball heads bob,
in every sense, wholly beyond our reach.
They emerge briefly,
vanishing once,
twice
thrice,
then for good.
Each disappearance beneath a wave’s spumy tip,
giving hints of a plethora
of rich, unseen ecosystems
all potentially suffering
from our poor stewardship.

Other Care of the planet poems can be found HERE