A Perfect Day In Dorset

a single decker bus back to the bay,
along the coastal route,
past tea places and an empty fair marquee,
country lanes flanked by ancient gnarled tree trunks,
sun-parched fields, lone cottages standing back from a road,

signposts for a farm appear,
cows in a field, gaze ahead with fixed expressions.
a tall fence,
an orchard,

approaching the coast,
a line of cliffs stretching east,
giftshops selling postcard racks,
Buckets and Spades,
holidaymakers ambling towards the seawall by the promenade,

children eating ice cream,
boat huts on the shore,

the sea slips into the horizon,
out of sight,
the sun sets,
night.