I’ve made it a habit (or did it make a habit of me?) to write something in the notes on my phone whenever I’m walking across Margate beach by myself. Nothing particularly profound… just feeling, looking, noticing as my time passes me by.
I will add them here as and when there’s something new.
31/07/2023
Feathers pressed into the sand
Message in a lambrini bottle
Irrigation tube
Dogfish skulls emptied of eyeballs
Paper bag for hash browns
Large framed spectacle without arms
Distant church bells call across the sea
Waves clap the walls like a taut sheet in a sudden wind
09/08/2023
Sandy seabirds scratch scuzzy scum skids track splashing waves strong slap August wild flowers jerk and shimmy in the wind
23/08/2023
We all met on Margate beach
Thrust our toes into the sand
As the sun slunk sinking into the sea
When the morning came our bottles marked the beach
Who would clear these lanterns in the light
We didn’t wonder as we slept in our beds
Clouds rolling around in our heads as the
Waves carried our plastic disregard and chip boxes into the sea
25/10/2023
It was hot the last time you were here. The palette now is purples, greys, and cold blue sea. The sand is wet and heavy. There’s a mangled sock poking out of the seaweed so you know Margate hasn’t changed all that much. But you have. Another summer gone, layers added like the scarf you’re burying your face in, the waves hushing your hardened corners as you continue year after year to keep breathing.
01/01/2024
I came to Margate to be alone in company. A new day, a new year. The old-loved seaside habit of tapping out notes to self on my phone as I walked across the beach. Faded grandeur to my right, the waves to my left, the lighthouse dead ahead. All this little world in-between, matchstick people, kids and dogs striding across the seaweed-scarred sands with 2024 etched deeply into its damp, grainy body.
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Jerk and shimmy. That’s so apt. I’m in Exeter and I had imagined a quaint and pleasant cathedral town with English cottage garden vibes instead a tracksuit clad kid wanted my phone and m&s food hall was a breath of fresh air.
I really like 23/08/23 so true and so sad. The new years day one is lovely too x