A Move to Bleadon Hill

Cherry

By marandina

Tue, 06 May 2025
  • 578 reads
13 comments
 

A Move to Bleadon Hill

Bleak factories billowing smoke,

steel towers industrial sentinels

amid seas of concrete and glass;

all of this now salient - memories,

my urban hymn for a distant town

in exchange for coastal skies.

 

New horizons made of bluer tines

where seagulls glide on eddies,

deceptively balletic in avian flight,

rugged shorelines recede at low tide

seemingly to the edge of beyond,

brackish waters head to faraway lands.

 

I have been here before – often,

childhood holidays in caravans,

cabaret shows at late night venues,

chips, battered fish in Styrofoam trays,

the past now merged with the present,

a journey that’s spanned a lifetime.

 

To follow a meandering lodestar,

is happiness a function of moments?

I hear a rumbling train pass and,

for a few seconds, I am a metaphor,

a passenger travelling in the ether

en route to destination unknown.

 

The Downs they call to me,

beckoning like singing sirens,

whispers, quiescent entreaties,

to stand on scree, cliff’s edge,

watch white horses crest waves

and stare out at lost islands

 

where the cormorants live. 

 

*Picture is my own.

Certificate U
Poem
Miscellaneous Poems
Spiritual

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Enjoyed this, empathising with your enjoyment in the scenes and the peace and space. I grew up in Barry til I was eight and a short time awhile later. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading it, Rhiannon. Barry's not far away now!

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

To return and reflect on a setting that brings back so many carefree memories, was a pleasure to read Paul. It sounds like you've found contentment, long may it continue.

Thank you for sharing this evocative poem.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks, Jenny.

Contentment's hard to find but getting close to it is the best we can do for the most part. 

I do have many happy memories associated with the area. My dad's favourite place in the world was Brean beach. 

Hope you are keeping well :)

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Beautifully done marandina, enjoy your new house!

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks insert. Still working on cat-proofing the garden. (Yes...still....)

Whilst clearing away bushes and trimming trees today ready for a new fence..discovered a bird's nest hidden in a tree. With eggs in it!

Everything's on hold again now waiting for them to hatch and fledge

 

https://x.com/BeeRummie/status/1919790689753157791?t=bHktraF-EE3qGBtos6E...

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

This is very lovely, Paul. The adjustment from one place to another, however much you love the new surroundings, always takes a while. You have landed in a beautiful area. It sounds like a wonderful new beginning.

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks, Jane. 

It is beautiful (not as beautiful as York, of course).

Lots to do to get the place sorted. Lots and lots.

 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for the cherries, Eds. Much appreciated :)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

How lovely to go back to where your happy memories begin, as though you are rooted in the best place for contentment to grow, in peace.

ps should this be "tones"?

New horizons made of bluer tines

poor cats, waiting to explore while birds hatch :0) And those poor birds!

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading it, Di. It's a move that's 8 years in the making. Tried to move to the outskirts of Bristol in 2017 but it fell through and then life happened. Happy to be here now.

'Tines' is intentional - as in spokes as in horizon. Dunno if it works but worth a try.

The discovery of a nest is a bit of a surprise and throws getting the cat proofing finished into a bit of a quandary. There's a security camera trained on it now to monitor comings and goings. It's like a local version of 'Springwatch' :)

 

 

 

 

 

Submitted by celticman on

I too am metaphor. A lifetime to understand ourself. Now you've moved. Enjoy, no longer being a boy. 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading, CM. We are forever boys even when we think we are men. We just kid ourselves we have grown up when we never really do.