City Conditions and Coast Riches: a poem by Kate Copeland
A word about city conditions and coast riches
This city shows houses hiding in rain when
morning sails in. No mountains to hold sun,
the centre shows all roofs cold-new. Bikes
jam, vans cut off canals. Distant. I move up
to the silent stretching sky, closer to the North
Sea. Cargos hover outside a harbour’s mouth,
the stoney sailor’s wife's still at the Old Church,
staring for ever. He won’t return, love. I tumble
through the angel doors and light two candles.
Out here, all stays poems and prayers.
(Previously published on the author's Instagram page.)
__________________________
Kate Copeland’s love for languages led her
to linguistics & teaching; her love for art & water to poetry. She is curator-editor for
The Ekphrastic Review & runs linguistic-poetry workshops for the International Women's Writing Guild. Find her poems @ TER, WildfireWords, Gleam, Metphrastics, Hedgehog Press, Spirit Fire Review or
Kate was born in a harbour-city and adores housesitting in the world.
December 2025 issue
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"I move up
to the silent stretching sky." Beautiful.