I had the idea of posting with some thoughts about types of places or things in scenery that inspire me and appear in my poetry. So – number one: THE SEA AND THE SHORE.

 The sea is mysterious for us because unless we dive, we see only the surface – so it can stand for our unconscious. It appears boundaryless

written by Simon Banks

and unlimited – so eternity, infinity and the experience of being in the womb. It sustains life and is where life began – but it’s a great killer. It divides nations and communities but it has been one of the great means of communication, of exploration and trade. Its colours change subtly depending on the weather, the time of day and solids held in it such as mud. The beat of waves is like the beat of a heart.

 The shore fascinates me because it’s the meeting-place of sea and land. Shore creatures live half in one world and half in the other – like poets? The shore is subject to cyclical change, but it’s also been a great source of evolutionary change. The shore is always there, but its location changes as land is eroded or sea recedes. Sea things are thrown up on the shore like clues to a mystery; land things like bricks or trees are taken by the sea and are returned wonderfully changed.

 The other features I’m thinking of discussing are rivers, the hills and the sky. What are your inspirations?