Leaf 46 – Reflections
This poem was written while
staying at a B+B somewhere in southwest England. A ‘B+B’, meaning ‘Bed & Breakfast’, is a kind of informal hotel, or sometimes even a ‘home-stay’
type accommodation, which are quite common across the UK. I’ve always thought that
there is an off-kilter kind of bathos which is peculiar to British seaside
towns. It’s quite unlike anywhere else. Often, a sad sort of downbeat melancholy pervades
which is at odds with the jolly holiday-maker image of ice-cream parlours,
seaside piers and amusement arcades. I think the photographer, Martin Parr,
captures it particularly well. And it’s something which I find endlessly fascinating.
This poem was originally published (formatted slightly differently) in still
5: four (2001), where it was also an ‘award runner-up.’
B + B
The quiet sound
of cutlery
on crockery.
 |
| The British seaside as seen by the photographer, Martin Parr |
Photograph credits: Click on the images for a link to their source.
Top image: Metro Linen Service. | Bottom image: Martin Parr.
