Prestatyn Viewpoint

A poem by Merlynn Spencer

Prestatyn Viewpoint
You’ve made it up the hill,
And let the engine die.
Now you sit in quiet surveillance of the view
you have seen so many times before
and yet still feel the awe
of the thousands of lights
twinkling in the empty night.

Other cars are here,
but the people inside are not focused
on the view ahead of them.
They are busy with other things,
With not being seen.
The red Corsa behind you rocks slightly,
And the windows are all steamed up.
The boys Laugh Out Loud,
Secretly wishing it was them.

But you do anyway,
Everyone else following with complaints
but none will pass up the opportunity
for a blurry picture of a manmade horizon,
A photo lost in the photo album
on your iPhone 8 or X or Samsung if you must.
You click the button,
Flash on or flash off?
A sea of buildings and supermarkets,
Traffic flowing down the network of concrete roads,
Stretching out towards a black canvas.

You gather around the information plaque,
And stare out at the view before you.
You can see the Tesco sign from here,
And the shopping park you just came from.
The street lamps and the houses
pool their energy together to create
a brightness that shines out the stars.

“Watch where you step now”
Put your phone torch on or stay in the headlights.
Stare out towards the dark sea,
A black abyss with no limits.
The wind is strong up here,
And hair tangles around your face.
But it’s quiet

Until your friends laugh and tell you
to get back in the warmth of the car,
Because they are bored now and cold,
And have seen this view many times before.

As you turn,
Knowing you will return,
You think how funny it is,
That the lights that took away the stars,
Could be just as beautiful as they are.

‘Prestatyn Viewpoint’, alongside other autumnal poems are from Merlynn’s debut collection, ‘Today is a Day for Hiding’ – which is currently available to buy on Amazon. 

Featured Image by Markus Spiske