Last Post: Holkham Beach

Sometimes, when storms muster the tides,
I can recall that there were more of us;
we were unified. But, with each pull and push,
time displaced me; pickling brine
and sharp winds took my softness
and left me a gribbled skin.

I hear them say I look like Mary, the one
from over Walsingham way. They’re wrong,
but still they come and garland me with shells
and seek meaning in the way that even
the shingle avoids my gaze.

The sea steadily worries at my feet
wearing me piece by piece.
And the day can’t come soon enough.
The day can’t come soon enough.

John C Nash finally settled down as a self-employed bookbinder and writer in Northampton, UK. His work has been published in various online and print magazines including Antiphon, Triggerfish and The Delinquent.

Samantha Webster has a degree in Fine Art Sculpture and Art History. Her photographic work has appeared in film, television and as album sleeve art. She works predominantly in black and white and is strongly influenced by the work of early 20th Century cinematographers. Her work can be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/samwebsterphoto