I wrote my ekphrastic poem, The Sea from Folkestone Leas, inspired by my small painting of a becalmed grey sea. Painted from the viewpoint of the Folkestone Leas, Kent.
The Sea from Folkestone Leas
I stand in quiet,
private thought,
I love it here
and yet,
Looking from the Folkestone Leas,
(a place of which I’m fond)
Above the fragrant pine-coned trees
There is no breeze,
My unruly hair stays in place
a calm reflection upon my face,
…gazing
far out
looking
long
listening to seabirds’ song
the plover and the gull
staring
…o’er the pretty beach below,
through the surf and sweep of ebb and flow…
From where I stand
on this chalk hill
upon our England shore…
wide eyed forevermore
I mull…
I know France is there behind the mist,
The sea between us is grey and flat,
but its mood is more than that,
The wind holds its breath.
It waits for its longed-for tryst
with the wild and frothing sea-spray,
Where seagulls skim above high angry waves
and heaving swell,
For in this moment against its will.
The sea that likes to roar and yell,
Lies so still,
but the tide will turn,
I know it will
~
Lesley Scoble, June 2024
“listening to seabirds’ song” (the gull)
While writing my poem, The Sea from Folkestone Leas, I reached for the teapot to pour another cuppa (as you do) and noticed the ceramic tile upon which it stands. I made it a little while ago. It is a graphic score with a haiku. I thought I’d like to show it to you, as it sort of fits this week’s poetry prompt.
Deep Waters: a graphic score and haiku
Deep waters falling~
Fountaining the lake with light
Ripples of a snake
~
NOTES
Folkestone Leas
The Folkestone Leas is a Victorian promenade on the top of a chalk cliff in Kent. We would often stay there at the Grand Hotel. I like the Leas because it is a promenade without a road (which is hard to find these days). The view from it across the English Channel is beautiful. At night, you can see the lights twinkling along the coast of France on the distant horizon.
Graphic Score
A graphic score is an alternative way of notating music or sounds on a page. It is unlike the traditional notation of standard sheet music, which uses crotchets and quavers, etc. on a stave to show the precise notes to play. A performer can interpret a graphic score differently. I was fortunate to have musicians (a violinist, cellist, flautist, and a guitarist) and singers to interpret my tile. Their interpretation was so beautiful and moving. It astonished me!
W3 Poetry Prompt
I wrote my poem The Sea from Folkestone Leas in response to Sarah David’s Ekphrastic poetry prompt. Sarah is the Poet of the Week for the W3 Poetry Prompt #113.
Open Sarah’s prompt guidelines here
Sarah’s prompt guidelines
Compose an ekphrastic poem inspired by any image of a body of water (ocean, waterfall, lake, etc.). The image you select may be a photo you have taken, art you have created, or any other image you like.
Include the image with the poem.
There are no other requirements (form, meter, rhyme, etc.) for this prompt – your poem need only be inspired by the image you select.
In response to Sarah’s prompt, I wrote a poem inspired by my small oil painting of the becalmed grey sea. I painted it from the viewpoint of the Leas in Folkestone, Kent.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thank you, Sarah, for your most inspiring prompt. Thank you for taking my mind back to the cliff top and prompting me to write about it.
Thank you, David, The Skeptics Kaddish, as always for your motivation and encouragement.
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.
LesleyScoble.com 
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