written and posted by members of Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society

Thursday 18 August 2011

Re-sort

08:28:00 Posted by Damp incendiary device 4 comments


What does it take to build a resort?


Initiative. Consensus.

Unity of purpose.

Crowds circulating about a common cause.

A symbolic gesture flung up in a frenzied dream of the continent.

Repetition of migration – shoals of workers.

Transportation.

Forward thinking.

Droves of consumers attracting nests of traders.

Showmen and women bedecked and bedazzling.

Architects, bred in an age of iron, dreaming of stonemasonry.

All pressed at the whim of a curvaceous shore,

A petulant ocean corroding balustrades; lashing out

At sharp corners with the promise of softness.


What does it take to maintain a resort?


Pools of cash squeezed from poor families and desperate teens.

Ego and status wielded at committee, crushing dissent.

Symbolic gestures, modernization, haphazard shoe box constructions

Flung up in a wet dream of personal aggrandizement.

Repetition of migration – shoals of unemployed workers.

Congested transportation.

Not thinking.

Droves of consumers attracting nests of traders.

Showmen and women bedecked and bedazzling.

Architects bred in an age of plastic and dreaming of the city.

All pressed at the whim of a sickened shore,

A sullied ocean eroding balustrades; lashing out

At staircases with the promise of slopes.


What does it take to maintain an illusion?

4 comments:

Ashley Lister said...

Illuminating :-)

Lindsay said...

They keep at those bad decisions Blackpool Council don't they? After spending an age trying to get into Blackpool this sunday due to the godawful traffic jams caused by the 'Skyride'event where they closed off the main roads in Blackpool and I saw a kid unconscious knocked over by a car in the midst of the madness this sums it all up really. Too much grandiose not much thinking. It's not it's seaside status which does it either, I've lived in Southport too and it was so different. Thought provoking poetry as always Vicky :)

Lindsay said...

Testing testing testing to see if I can comment now Ashley has hopefully sorted the commenting issues :)

Standard said...

1,2,1,2 ssssssibilance, ssssssibilance... ok hope this works: like my abortive attempt to post earlier said - I think this is my favourite post so far - love the parallelism between first and second halves and the dichotomy of perception between them as well (plus I get to use the word dichotomy - always been a fave of mine :) love the line 'staircases with the promise of slopes' as well - really evokes my memories of drinking by North Pier - great stuff :)