Erosion (poem) by Ruan Mills on AuthorsDen

Erosion
by Ruan Mills → (All Poetry by Ruan Mills)
Rated "G" by the Author.

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In loving memory of what once was.

Glory days of youth and glamour Dignified, with pride of place Endorsed by Royal’s high approval Swathed in velvet, silk and grace Elegance, disarming grandeur Self-assured as Brighton Belle ‘Til tempest struck her stately form And brought about demise’s hell Ripped from anchor’s gilded roots Then cast adrift to salient sea Shudders, groans as fate’s misfortune Separates her from her quay Reeling at such devastation Frantic to regain her stance Clinging on with faith and hope That somehow beauty stood a chance Waves of pain pound shore relentless Sound of surf that disapproves Neath firm-set feet, both time and tide Nudge sand and shingle ‘til it moves Strength and firm foundations crumble Bearing falters, compromised Force of spirit all but lost As poise and status are capsized Fortitude and mettle flounder Mere grit cannot dispel all fears Firm resolve must finally fall to Surging sea of salted tears. This is as much about human emotion as it is about the tragic demise of Brighton’s West Pier. Most of my childhood memories are/were centred on this paragon of the era. Now my darker days reflect on what once was.

Reviewed by Morgan Merriweather

Reviewed on September 8, 2014

A sense of place can have a profound effect on the soul as you have shown us here. Nicely done!

Reviewed by E Phillips

Reviewed on September 5, 2014

I flew over Brighton via Google Earth and made a virtual landing on the beach and promenade. Delightful place. I must have scared the dickens out of your friends and neighbors. Not nearly as stirring as your poem.

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Of all the edifices we have constructed to one glory or another, most have succumbed to the elements, but none so more than to the sea. Makes me think of Atlantis, the Colossus at Rhodes, the great Library of Alexandria, and more recently, the entire city of Galveston in 1900. All that's left now are black and white pictures and memories on the Brighton shore. But those memories shine brighter when eulogized like never before.

I can't wait for your next installment of her story.

Ron

Reviewed by Odin odin@aflx.com

A beautiful dedication to what was and what could be, were it not for our evolution into...well, self-destruction seems the appropriate word for the past couple of decades.

Reviewed by Budd Nelson

i so agree, very well penned

Reviewed by Mr. Ed

So many wonderful things from those Good Old Days are now so sadly gone.

Reviewed by Michael True

Reviewed on September 4, 2014

A fitting and beautiful eulogy. Change being the only constant. And the band played on... M.True

Reviewed by Jerry Bolton

Eh . . . so many of the piers, and other dockside places built strong, but n'er strong enough are lost over the years, both from neglect from those who are supposed to monitor and look after them as the relentless, pushing sea wearing away resistance. To those who remember how it was "back then," can only grit their teeth and shed a silent tear at the destruction of part of their childhood.