CROSBY BEACH, MERSEYSIDE, 2030
For John Plummer
After lengthy negotiations between
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
and Another Place Ltd, the cast iron
statues that comprise the installation,
‘Another Place’, will be removed from the beach.
A third of the statues is completely
submerged. At a high water a third more
disappear, and those, nearest what remains
of the sand dunes, show only their heads.
The hundred figures, all cast from a mould
of the naked body of the artist,
Sir Antony Gormley, will be erected
along the perimeter of a nearby
golf course the Council acquired under
the Global Warming Mitigation Act.
The barnacles, which adhere to the statues,
will in time, it is anticipated, drop off.
A spokesperson for the artist explained
that the protracted negotiations focussed
on which direction the statues would face.
A compromise was reached whereby some would face
south towards Liverpool’s two cathedrals
high up at either end of Hope Street;
some north towards Southport’s hinterland
and the flooded fields of the Fylde’s coastal plain;
and some still westwards towards what used to be
the ambiguous promise of the oceans.
Before the installation of the art work
the beach was seldom visited – unsafe
for swimming, a rudimentary car park
beside the Coastguard Station, no toilets.
The occasional dog-walker might note
the profusion of razor clams, or specks
of coal, scattered among the seaweed, from seams
at Point of Ayr on the distant Welsh coast.
The influx of visitors required
a tarmacked car park and proper toilets –
both frequently inundated now.
The Coastguard Station is on twenty foot piles.
Crosby Beach is seven miles or so
from the centre of Liverpool, most of which
was razed in the May Blitz of ’41.
Much of the rubble was dumped on the beach,
cordoned off from the public throughout the war.
The detritus is so wind-swept and now sea-swept
that it resembles pebbles spring tides have cast –
except for the tell-tale clay of a brick,
a fragment of cut stone.
Note: ANOTHER PLACE – Sylvia Selzer: https://www.sylviaselzer.com/2014/08/17/another-place/
Ashen Venema
January 28, 2022Fascinating, your story of what happens at a beach over time.
Ruins turn into pebbles and even the iron men guarding the land lose sight of the sea, while legged creatures are yet able to flee the encroaching tides.
John HUDDART
January 28, 2022A subtle view of apocalypses past, present and future.
Alex Cox
January 29, 2022A wonderful poem! One feels the author’s deep sadness that Sir Anthony’s naked statues of himself were not allowed to be entirely submerged, and remain unseen for millennia, awaiting discovery by delighted future generations, or mutant barnacles.
Mary Clark
February 25, 2022Ha ha. They would have wondered about the kind of ceremonies that took place at the site (sight) of these statues. I do feel sorry for the barnacles.
Howard Gardener
January 31, 2022Crosby Beach, Merseyside, 2030
When I first read this, I thought, ‘Goodness – is it that long since I went to Crosby? Is it really that bad?’ Then I read the title again. Perhaps you should have waited until April 1st before you published it. An excellent poem, David, and a timely one, given all the climate change headlines currently lapping up against our collective conscience. One small bone to pick though. Out of one hundred figures, surely they could have spared one and placed it atop the Liver building to feed the birds now and again?
David Selzer
February 9, 2022You’ve given me the idea of a sequel, Howard, set perhaps in 2050 – when the rooftops of the Three Graces are crowded with the figures!
John Plummer
February 1, 2022A telling blend of melancholy reflection and hope. Poignantly poised between the city and Southport, with layers of everyone’s history scattered haphazardly across the shorelines. And the slow shadow of the future as the sea reclaims it all. I hope the relocation and presentation of the Gormley statues can capture some of the longer perspectives. A broad hinterland for wildlife, enduring vegetation and for visitors will be needed.