The Stilted Inn

There’s this house that stands on sticks,
It’s made from wood
And not from bricks.
It is a grand hotel and a stylish inn,
Where posh people pay to sleep in.
It’s on an island in the wild Atlantic
Where the Beothuk people used to be,
The inn stands firm
upon the rocks on lengthy legs,
each leg is a stilt, beside the sea.

It is built beside the ocean blue,
(though, oft times grey in a wintry hue)
Imagine all the bedrooms’ view!
It’s kinda… let me try to describe to you…
It’s kind of…
Phew!

Mighty waves come in with a frantic force,
To swirl through the long legs on its inexorable course.
The stilts stride the tide,
supporting this grand hotel and stylish inn,
(To keep it standing and stop it falling in)
The phalanx of legs shores it well,
Standing tall above the swell,
and the violent raging of the sea.
But they look precarious to me.


Lesley Clare Scoble, June 2024

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NOTES

Fogo Island Inn
The stilted inn I mention in my poem is inspired by the luxurious Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland. Which stands  upon the rocks of Fogo Island in the North Atlantic. 

The Beothuk
When the last known Beothuk, Shanawdithit, died of TB in 1829, the Beothuk people became extinct. The increasing settlements of Newfoundland, Canada, denied the Beothuk of their vital resources. They could not compete with the influx of European trappers and furriers. This fills me with great sadness.

I wrote my poem, The Stilted Inn, in response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #273. Thank you, Melissa for the inspiration.
Photo credit: Erik Mclean on Pexels.

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Lesley lives in the City of London Square Mile. An artist, actor and sculptor (her first ceramic sculpture won the V&A inspired by… Award). Scenic artist & book illustrator, playwright (her musical play, Rapscallion performed in inner city schools and theatre school); TV dancer; Animator and illustrator for TV production. Set up Pinecone Studios Ltd and IIMSI Ltd drama and filmmaking workshops in London – producing award-winning films made by children.