Twenty poems inspired by the paintings of Eric Ravilious.
The Ravilious paintings in this book include scenes of Sussex, the West country and East Anglia, places where the artist lived and worked. Ravilious is best known for his English landscapes but his work rarely features people or their activities. This aspect of his work has always intrigued me and my poems, rather than being descriptions, tell stories – real or imagined, some autobiographical or anecdotal, others which refer to news stories or current issues.
Below is the title poem which refers to Ravilious’ painting of Beachy Head near Eastbourne, famous as a suicide site. It is said that residents of Eastbourne know or know of someone who took their own life in this way.
NOTE
If you buy this book from here, £2 will be donated to Towner Eastbourne in recognition of their roll in bringing Ravilious’ work to public attention.
SAFE ON THE HEAD TONIGHT
It’s clear enough on the Downs tonight
to ships on the move the warning’s bright
the sea’s quite calm there’s no one in sight
Beachy Head seems safe tonight.
But who’s that striding in the distance
cliffwards at a rapid pace,
then slowing up the slight incline
towards the green chalk edge?
A faster one follows to catch up the first
they fall into grim conversation
the first edges nearer, the second holds back
we can’t hear their earnest voices.
At the brink the first stops and sinks to his knees
head in hands as his brother arrives,
they embrace for some minutes then walk slowly
back to the ambulance waiting there.
It seemed clear enough on the Downs tonight
to ships on the move, the warning was bright
the sea’s still calm, now there’s no one in sight
Beachy Head’s once more safe tonight.