An Accidental Meeting

An Accidental Meeting

Her sensible shoes make their own way
up the sun-soaked Jersey coastal paths.
Pausing, curiously, to look at cold, grey stone
where so recently the enemy had crouched,
waiting with empty bellies. Empty shells,
occupied now by silence and by thrift,
the pink reflected in her hand-sewn dress,
her flushed and eager cheeks.

Choosing rest over respectability she sinks
down to watch the fulmars dive, lost in thought,
until a man-shaped shadow blocks the sun.
Looking up, a widow’s peak looks down and nods
politely, with a click of heels that is distinctly
continental. Sparks a sudden flash of fear,
of ghosts returned, or worse,
until he smiles and speaks.

Her mother’s cries of what becomes of girls alone
in foreign parts, are lost on coastal winds. And she,
three hundred miles away, all hope of weddings fading
with the years, wonders why she strangely feels
the urge to laugh and cry, as unbeknownst,
one tired refugee of older years, divorced no less,
and his future bride, her wilful, wandering, eldest child,
in one perfect moment meet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This poem tells the story of the moment that my beloved old Grandma met my Grandpa. It is based partly on the recollections told to my mother by my Grandma, now 88 and struggling with a form of dementia, and family legend, and partly on my own imaginings trying to step into her sensible shoes and the location of their first meeting to imagine how it must have felt. I know it occurred on a cliff-top on the isle of Jersey in the late 40′s when she was approaching 30. I know that she had travelled there on holiday, alone, much to the disapproval of her mother, and that she returned proclaiming that she had met the man she was going to marry, much to my great-grandma’s horror. What I hadn’t realised, but found out through some research, was that it must have happened almost immediately after the end of the occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

I loved the process of entering into that world, trying to capture a sense of the woman I know and have heard stories about. Imagining the things that she would have seen that day, playing with language and images of war, and exploring how she must have felt, approached by a strange older man with a Polish accent. She remembers vividly his shadow falling over as she sat in the sunshine and, although she’s never said, I am sure that for a split second she must have thought the Germans were back. Surrounded by such recent memorabilia of war, she must have done.

And yet I know they talked, and found enough of a connection to spark a romance that lasted 50 years, until he died of cancer in 1990, when I was 8.

I find such a mind-blowing, amazing concept, this moment. That from this chance meeting came my mother, and then of course me, and Kai too.

It makes me realise what a miracle, what a gazillion to one chance it is just to be alive.

*insert funky intro music here*

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Mrs Lucia-Wright

WOW – That is an amazing poem. It gave me goosebumps Josie!! Incredible. Wow genuinely the best poem I've read ever. It has inspired me to write again I would put that on a par with Shakespeare in terms of my enjoyment in reading it. Well done. xx

[Reply]
http://mymilkspilt.wordpress.com Spilt Milk

Lovely! I really enjoyed the story, and the poem. It is quite wonderful to think about all the chance encounters that lead to one moment, one birth!

As for any feedback, I feel hesitant to give any – but for me, I didn't love the line 'Looking up, a widow's peak looks down' line. Maybe something about the 'looking' and 'looks' being together, although I do like the image of two gazes connecting. I did really love the 'her mother's cries… lost on coastal winds'. Gorgeous.

Anyway, I thought this workshop was such a good idea that I ought to join in, so I have for the first time this week.

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http://lifeslightlyused.wordpress.com/ april

That hon, is beautiful – I wouldn't change it at all – the imagry is beautiful – with the widows peak line I got that feeling of when you've been looking at the sun too long and only certain darker parts of faces will focus, the rest remains a blur till the sun glare fades but I understand what SM means about looking and looks…lovely hon, really lovely

[Reply]
http://deerbaby.blogspot.com

That poem's amazing Josie. Really amazing. Look at what you pulled out of your bag at the last minute! I would say it's the finished item not a draft. I don'y know anything about how my grandparents met or much at all really. That is very special.

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MrsLJHall

Lovely poem! And oh my don't you look like her! That is a lovely legacy in itself. My grandparents met ice skating on a lake – didn't they meet in such lovely ways in those days! xx

[Reply]
jfb57

Grwat poem! I know a bit about the occupation so I had the picture straight away. Excellent & thank goodness they found eachother. Couldn't have a world without Josie!

[Reply]
notesfromlapland

this is wonderful, I could really see it as I read. Fabulous my dear. x

[Reply]
vwallop

t's lovely, I love it. I haven't got any comments. You captured that moment perfectly, the thrift, the birds the grey stone. And it all builds to the last line when you find out they're made for each other. If you think to hard about how people meet and create families, it all becomes a bit mindblowing, it's amazing that we're all here at all.

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http://sandycalico.blogspot.com/ Sandy Calico

What a wonderful love story, beautifully told. I'm smiling and crying at the same time too x

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http://www.andthenallithoughtaboutwasyou.wordpress.com Kerry

That is a lovely poem, you have done it beautifully. You can imagine watching the scene while you are reading it. Great xx

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http://annie170768.blogspot.com/ Annie

What a beautiful story. My Grandma's story is very similar, but she in fact ended up with a German prisoner of war… but I'll spare you the details. I love the way you've brought feeling and emotion to your poem.

[Reply]
http://absolutelyalchemy.blogspot.com Bronagh

I loved this poem – the imagery was so vivid, I could picture the whole thing in my head. Brilliant x

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http://singleparenthoodbygappy.blogspot.com/ gappysinglemum

That is a wonderful piece of poetry Josie. Really accomplished. And such a lovely story to go with it. I feel strangely sad after reading it for some reason.

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http://www.chatty-t.blogspot.com/ Tanya (Bump2Basics)

A big event well crafted into a small and telling poem. Lovely. Chance encounter stories like this always make me smile as this is how I met my husband. In fact, I've now found inspiration for my post today if I can settle the little one before I head out!

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http://twitter.com/Emmawhizz Emma-Louise Harries

Loved it, the vivid imagery, and the story behind it. Very moving! xxx

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http://princessl.co.uk/ PrincessL

That's great, Josie, really romantic and so well written, as with all your stuff! Really glad you've found your inspiration too!

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BNM

I loved it and such a romantic story. It looks too me like the finished article not a draft – glad inspiration has been refound
BNMx

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http://www.christinemosler.wordpress.com/ Thinly Spread

Lovely. It is amazing when you stop and think how everything before us combines to make us, all those passing moments and chance encounters. I really enjoyed this Josie, well done. And my boy thinks your Granny looks like a lovely lady!

[Reply]
http://butterbeanandcobra.blogspot.com/ beta dad

Like everybody else, I think it's beautiful. I like the mix of melancholy, the tinge of fear that comes with the shadow and the clicking heels, and romance. Come to think of it, there's always an element of fear in romance.

I have a couple very conventional pieces of feedback for your revisions: You might find something a little fresher than “sun-soaked” to describe the Jersey coast. I didn't see the sunshine at all; I think because that phrase didn't register with me. Also, I don't know if you need “curiously” or “eager.” I think those are implied (or could be) just by what she is doing. Finally, it might work better if you describe what her “flash of fear” feels or looks like rather than saying “flash of fear.” I know–all my input is basically that old saw “show don't tell”–but I think that's as good a motto as any for poetry. Oh, one more thing along those lines: since you fully achieved the goal of capturing a “perfect moment,” you might not need to remind the reader by using that phrase.

Now I'm going to finish writing my “meeting” story for the workshop, in which I will violate all of the sage advice I just doled out. I hope we will see the revised version of this lovely poem!

[Reply]
Josie Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Thank you that is really helpful feedback!

It's tough one because in a sense I am writing for my tutor – he who always makes a point of saying that you need to establish character early on. And it's hard to get the balance between being too obvious and too obtuse.

The show and tell advice is useful too and very valid, thank you. I have this evening left to sit and mull it over and play with metaphors I don't think I'm allowed to publish a finished piece on my blog, will check my course code.

[Reply]
http://butterbeanandcobra.blogspot.com/ beta dad

You're very welcome! It was a pleasure to read your poem. Now I have to get caught up on the archives, since I just started reading recently.

I just entered my own piece for the workshop (Moscow '79: Cosmos Hotel), but I can't seem to find the widget to put on my blog. Can anyone help? I can see the “badge,” but it doesn't do anything when I click on it.

[Reply]
Josie Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
Do you mean the code for the badge for the workshop? I have been having some trouble with it but tweaked the code and it should work now. You can find it at the bottom of this post: http://www.sleepisfortheweak.org.uk/2010/04/12/…

Sorry about that!

[Reply]
http://mwaonline.blogspot.com Mwa

Ooh, you look like your grandmother! How sweet!

[Reply]
Moderndilemma

Josie the poem is wonderful and your back story is beautifully written too. I really enjoyed it.

I'm not sure if you've read it but given your family connection to Jersey in the post WW2 period, I would strongly recommend your reading “The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer (and then additional writers credit to her niece Annie Barrows who completed the manuscript when Mary passed away just before publication).

I would send you my copy but have lent it to a friend. Not sure if its your thing but I think you'll at least find it interesting. I feel in love with the characters and almost inhaled the book in a 24 hour sitting. I know its a popular read right now and some book snobs turn their noses up at such popular novels, but for me, it was wonderful. Highly recommend it to you.

MD xx

[Reply]
http://butterbeanandcobra.blogspot.com/ beta dad

I found the code for the badge, and got it to work. Thanks!

[Reply]
http://typecast2000.blogspot.com/ Nickie at Typecast

Beautiful poem, Josie x

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Insomniac Mummy

Just beautiful, Josie.

X

[Reply]
Anonymous

How romantic! I like her rebellious streak as she continued to walk those cliffs despite annoying her ma.. and how wonderful you’re treading the footsteps of your ancestry.

[Reply]
Icklebabe

This blew me away Josie, I often think the same thing, but could have not put it into such beautiful words ! Stunning . Your a total breath of fresh air, what all good blogs should be x

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