Ten In Heart and Ten In Tide

for time to tend.  Wow! Damien has written a SECOND poem inspired by Nigel’s fab photos of the St Clair’s Piles, St Clair Beach, Dunedin. This post’s title and first line are favourite lines of mine from his poem referring to the ten piles seen in the photo below, relics from an old groyne nearly a century old. Here is the poem..

The Weight Upon The Waves   by Damien B. Donnelly

Damien blogs at:   Deuxiemepeau; Picturing Poetry by Damien B. Donnelly

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Tidal canvas for beautiful reflections at St Clair, Dunedin, New Zealand. Old groyne piles that date back to 1921, survivors. *Click on photo to enlarge* By Nigel, 31 Jan 2019

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THE  WEIGHT  UPON  THE  WAVES

— Poem by Damien B. Donnelly

And in the tide
tight with time and its turning
they left their posts,
impaled upon the sand,
impressed upon the land.

And there they stood
ten in heart and ten in tide
for time to tend,
impaled upon mind,
impressed upon mankind.

And on they marched
up the land and on from shore
for evermore
impaled upon their wain,
impressed upon the flame.

And out with wave
woe on water and touch from time,
tormented years
impaled upon the crest,
impressed upon the chest.

And on they went
refugees in search of root
swept along the shore
impaled upon with tears,
impressed upon with fears.

And on it goes
those who run and those who can stay
and those who are lost,
impaled upon the wars,
impressed upon the waves.

All words by Damien B. Donnelly

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Posted by Liz, photo by Nigel, poem by Damien B. Donnelly

Link to view poem on Damien’s blog:  The Weight Upon The Waves