The evening lowers its blue veil
over Whitby,
and windows
kindle along the quay,
small stars against the gathering dark.
The ships stand silent in their berths,
their masts
like ink against the sky.
Beneath them,
water gathers gold
and draws the lamplight into night.
A distant figure crosses the quay,
carrying an ordinary life
through a world made suddenly beautiful,
where even silence
seems to recall the tiniest details.
What is a harbour, after all,
but a place where departures linger
long after the ships have gone,
where goodbye outlives the tide?
Perhaps the fog remembers
the footsteps of those who left,
the hands that loosened their hold
on one another
as the sea opened its black mouth.
The lamps burn on, their amber hearts
suspended between the earth
and infinite dark,
and Whitby
becomes an ache beside the sea,
half dream, half memory.
I would stay until the last light
falters, until the ships dissolves
into darkness,
until the water surrenders
every star except one.
Morning will come eventually,
and with it the ordinary world.
But for now,
Whitby belongs to the night—
to the ships,
the tide, and everything we could not say.
Photo credits: Whitby Docks by John Atkinson Grimshaw, Picryl.com
Posted for Poetics: Through the eyes of John Atkinson Grimshaw @dVerse Pub
39 Responses
I love how you made the harbor come alive… I especially love that you focused on the place as one for parting, as if you can feel that lingering sorrow of every farewell in the waves.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
I’ve been to Whitby and you’ve captured the blue evening beautifully, Sanaa. Whitby is where Goths gather every year and Whitby Abbey is where Bram Stoker go some of his inspiration for Dracula. I especially love the images created in ‘windows kindle along the quay, small stars against the gathering dark and ‘water gathers gold and draws the lamplight into night’.
Oh wow, that is so interesting to learn! 😀 Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Such a gorgeous write, Sanaa! I especially love the opening lines.💖💖
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Awesome poetry, Sanaa
“What is a harbour, after all,
but a place where departures linger”
Much love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Much love back
Sanaa, awesome poem! And prompt, Id never heard of Grimshaw before and I love his paintings. This line is classic, “What is a harbour, after all,
but a place where departures linger
long after the ships have gone,
where goodbye outlives the tide?
Never would have thought of that. Very very nice! 🧡
Thank you so much, Cara 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Thank you for hosting and your poem was wonderful to read. The opening line brought magic into the night and set up the tone for the poem. loved it…
Thank you so much, Truedessa 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Beautiful, Sanaa. Just beautiful. The line about the harbor: what is a harbor if not … lingers. Thanks for sharing. Xo, Selma
Thank you so much, Selma 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Beautiful write Sanaa 👏
❤️❤️❤️
Beautiful imagery- and thanks for the great prompt ♥️
Thank you so much, Ange 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
This is so beautiful, I enjoyed the personification, the imagery, everything! The ending is also heart-warming.
Thank you so much, Jay 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Whitby belongs to the night—
to the ships,
the tide, and everything we could not say.
Eventually like everything else, yes, Whitby will revert back to the night. A good close Sanaa, and a great write-up!
Hank
Thank you so much, Hank 😀 so glad the poem appealed to you 💄❤️
Beautifully written, Sanaa! I especially love this…
Beneath them,
water gathers gold
and draws the lamplight into night.
And… What is a harbor after all…
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Beautifully atmospheric poetry, Sanaa, and your close is that perfect, somber touch. Love it–I know I’ll read this one again. 🤍
Thank you so much, Jennifer 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Great poem. Loved this stanza: “What is a harbour, after all,
but a place where departures linger
long after the ships have gone,
where goodbye outlives the tide?”
Thank you so much, Arcadia 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
A beautiful ‘story’- so immersive and creative – I particularly like – ‘windows kindle along the quay’
Thank you so much, Jae 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Much is said and implied; and there’s nothing to worry about “everything we could not say”.
Well expressed.
Thank you so much, Anita 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Fantastic! You tell a wonderful story in your poem.
Thank you so much, Stew 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
‘Windows kindle’ and ‘water gathers gold’ stood out as I read your lovely poem. The ending “everything we could not say” ~ ?? I cannot imagine adding additional words could have made it more meaningful, more real.
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Helen 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
This is a wonderful poem, Sanaa. Whitby was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the idea of it fills me with a gothic horror delight. Your poem has done this harbour justice.
Thank you so much, Robbie 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Exquisite mingling of emotion and scenery, Sanaa. Just wonderful.