Alum Bay

revivor on Sep 17, 2009

Tags: Isle of Wight, Multi-coloured sand, needles

Close to the Needles, on the world famous Isle of Wight, is a bay with multicoloured sand. On a recent visit I watched as hundreds of people came and yet were distracted. They saw lots, but missed the most rare, the most important. Alum Bay – an allegory for life?

Image by amandabhslater via Flickr

At Alum Bay
Down myriad steps
To see the sand
The world renowned
The multi-coloured
Sand

A young girl
Makes her careful way
And sees the sea
Distracted by
The bright, the glistening
Sea

Photo by revivor

Two by two
From metalled sky
Into the throng
The inward looking
Talking, laughing
Throng

A boat arrives
In quiet waters
To meet the crowd
The standing, waiting
Seaward facing
Crowd

And so the climb
The myriad steps
From Alum Bay
The sand, the magic sand
Ignored, to be explored
Another day

15
Liked it

I Like It

Comments (24)

Bo Russo on Sep 17, 2009
Sounds like a nice place
Darla Cooke on Sep 17, 2009
I wouldn’t mind visiting there sometime.
BullwinkleMuse on Sep 17, 2009
It seems we’ve become conditioned to speed-read even nature itself, scanning our environment for the bold print, and missing out on a lot of beauty in the fine print, eh?
Christine Ramsay on Sep 17, 2009
I must admit that, though I have visited the Isle of Wight several times and have heard of Alum Bay, I have never actually seen it.
This lovely piece really promotes it. Good work.

Christine
revivor on Sep 17, 2009
@Bullwinkle – I reckon you’re right. It struck me on the day how hardly anyone looked at what they were supposed to look at!! They all looked at familiar things they could see in any Bay.

@Christine – Maybe I should email it to the tourism officer??
Katie Marie on Sep 17, 2009
Yes, we are much too rushed these days, even when on holiday.
teddybear55 on Sep 17, 2009
Beautiful pictures, yes and isn’t it sad to realize that we sometimes fail to see what is right in front of our eyes. The poem was lovely and the picutres breathtaking. Thanks for sharing.
monica55 on Sep 17, 2009
Great piece. You have crafted a beautiful imagery of the bay, one that will be liked by many. Lovely pics too.
Monica.
J J Neuman on Sep 19, 2009
You put me right there….exceptional!
kate smedley on Sep 19, 2009
You captured the moment perfectly and I have to say the pictures are stunning.
Jonie on Sep 19, 2009
Yes, you put me right there also! Thanks!
fishfry aka Elizabeth Figueroa on Sep 19, 2009
You’ve got my attention, Awesome photos, it bring me ( the reader in) my desire to go there is over the top.
Perfect
Jo Oliver on Sep 19, 2009
very well done with nice pics to boot
Juancav on Sep 20, 2009
Feeling of quietness and peace.
Al on Sep 20, 2009
Very nice piece!
lindalulu on Sep 20, 2009
Sounds wonderful!
spiritwalker on Sep 21, 2009
so beautiful. I love to see places that I can mark down as the places that I want to see with my own eyes.
Joshua Miguel on Sep 26, 2009
interesting place. wish i have a chance to go there.
DA Cournean on Oct 2, 2009
Awesome!
CutestPrincess on Oct 4, 2009
beautiful poem, the place looks so peaceful…
Phill Senters on Nov 18, 2009
A great poem and so true. How often we fail to see what is in plain sight.
Cor on Nov 19, 2009
I like the poem !
Thanks for sharing !
qasimdharamsy on Jan 17, 2010
Very Nice…
Melody SJAL on Apr 2, 2010
Very vivid and wonderfully expressed.

Alum Bay

Hi there!

Find the Spot

Categories