Before The Rot Sets In
Cut. Sliced. Planed.
I weathered in a drying yard
seasoned with my siblings.
Preserved for my strength, my close grain.
Chosen by my master.
Thought I would be here for a year or two
not decades, but I am.
Experienced proxigen tides.
The storm of ’53.
Waves crashing
intense flooding.
Dutchmen flying loose from their moorings.
Have longitudinal cracks from incliment weather.
Have lichen for my beret.
Spartina worshipping my base.
Black ants cajoling, deep inside my crevises.
Had holes bored into me
to secure horizontal planks of oak
restraining rampant costal erosion but
we are as effective as Canute
lasting to nearly last summer
before the rot sets in.
Alun Robert
A Scot of Irish ancestry, Alun Robert is a prolific creator of lyrical free verse achieving success in poetry competitions. His work has been widely published in British, Irish and North American literary magazines, anthologies and ezines. In September 2019, he was Featured Writer for the Federation of Writers Scotland.
Photo credit @gamevogue at http://www.unsplash.com
The Beach Hut 