Out of the Sea

My material for this piece was gained In the course of assembling proofs I fear therefore That I shall fail the test of historical rigour In the eyes of my audience And you should not be deceived therefore Into believing that the skills of the translator Reflect my own In the circumstances I hope you will forgive me My matter is limited in geographical scope Moreover my subject is The foreshore The islands The Jerseyman The Jerseyman tells us of a divided land Notions of equality Division The assimilation into society Questions of privilege The maritime The huge tidal beaches of continental Normandy And the Channel Islanders The intimate connection Which is central to this piece In the sea, on the foreshore, in the sand Or clinging to the rocks 'Vraic' – the seaweed which had drifted ashore Or was harvested from the rocks 'Vareck' for wreckage Or other things drifting to shore 'Estrandes' for things stranded On the shore itself Specifically the coast Generally place names And activities such as fishing Are relevant here The foreshore The heart The words crystallised The Jerseyman Rising out of the sea