Fish Quay North Shields by Norman Tween

Fish Quay

Fish Quay

The tall reddish building (the 18th Century ‘Low Light’ which assisted navigation from the river entrance)

This guache sketch is drawn from an old postcard photo of the Fish Quay c1940s. I made up the colours but the Low Light is seen with its former pre-white fascia. I doubt the workers in the fish sheds would be wearing yellow oilskins then, probably black. The outline of Knott’s Flats, completed c1938, can just be seen in the far background to the left of the Low Light.

The High Light is on the bank above. Boats coming in aligned both buildings to avoid the rocks in the estuary. Cliffords Fort is behind the Low Light. Some signs of the Fort wall remain.

The fascinating North Shields Fish Quay dates back to the 13th Century. Amongst its many historical elements is Clifford’s Fort, a Scheduled Ancient Monument built in the 17th Century as part of a network of coastal defences.…….Fish Quay

From Wiki:
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear in North East England. Historically part of Northumberland, it is located eight miles (13 km) east of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Its name derives from Middle English schele meaning ‘temporary sheds or huts (used by fishermen)’,[1] and still today, the area is synonymous with fishing and other trades associated with seafaring.

FISH QUAY GUT2

Thulium, “Periodic Table” poem by Chicago poet Janet Kuypers

Thulium

Janet Kuypers

from the “Periodic Table of Poetry”” series (#69, Tm)
7/18/13

Scroll to Medieval times,
and see a classical map.

Look over the Carta Marina,
because there you can find
what some theorized
as an island of antiquity —
through for those who traveled
by boat around Britain,
the Thule was the most northerly
of the Britannic Islands.
In ancient literature, however,
the Ultima Thule
was the symbol for
a far-off land,
something unattainable.

And when Thulium was discovered
in the late eighteen hundreds
(named after Thule,
as a mythical region
in Scandinavia),
the element was so rare that
it’s qualities were unattainable…

But even though this is
the rarest of the rare,
and despite the high cost,
it’s in the YAG laser, used
for laser surgery, for work
unattainable by the human hand.
It’s even bombarded
in a nuclear reactor
for it’s use in portable
x-ray devices,
so we can see
what was otherwise
unattainable to the naked eye.

I mean, because of
Thulium’s fluorescence,
it’s even inside euro banknotes,
to prevent counterfeiting.

Because Thulium fluoresces
with a deep blue hue,
we’ll sail the oceans
to learn, we’ll go to
the farthest places we know,
just to see trace glimpses,
because we want to go beyond
what we see…

THE SEED OF THE BURNING TREE Poem by Summer Breeze

The Seed of the Burning Tree

The Seed of the Burning Tree

THE SEED OF THE BURNING TREE

i stand knee deep in burning coals
waist high in bombs bursting light
eyes filled with poisonous gas
ears to the crackling wind

i kneel deep in daisy filled garden
soft breeze caressing my face
tear drops coursing the river
bird song in my ear

i lie on the ground hugging
holding least i fall further
than i can remember being
down in the deep deep well

i turn to face my Maker
i cry, “o Maker face me!”
give me just one reason,
or take this cup.”

the crackling wind is silent
the air is sweet & pure
i see a tree in the garden
it burns but does not die

“My child, & you are my child
My love, and you are my love
You are the seed of the burning
Tree, and you and I are one.”

Originally published at Artvilla.com on Feb 1, 2005 @ 17:02

In the Shallows Poem by Summer Breeze

Summer solace painting

Summer solace painting

In the shallows
by Summer Breeze

In the shallows of our past
remembered shadows
heart broken clean
of entanglements and fairy tales
Camelot was not
akin to our dreams of real
still
in our frenzied recreation
needed now it is a good time
to rampart the battlements
of fear and greed
the poet dreams
dips a pen in the deep well
informs the other
“You are loved”

First Published at Artvilla.com on Nov 30, 2004 @ 15:05 CST

Life Was Easier Then

It was so much easier
when we just had Elvis
and Walter Cronkite
we knew who could sing
and we got the news right

Yes life was better back then
we had a dining room and a den
and we didn’t have a garage full of stuff
and we threw our trash off a bluff

and our sink holes were full of cars
and it never made the news
and we didn’t give a damn about Mars
and fancy shoes

And Aunt Marie fixed
potatoes and pinto beans
and there were these new things called
blue jeans

Oh all the fields are big now and the farmers are gone

Oh what price we paid for our fancy homes

and they took our trash with a big giant hand
when the suburbs swallowed the sons of the land

 

 

Jackson