Gorleston Pier - A Little Bit of
Gorleston Pier – A Liitle Piece of Plastic
A little bit of plastic
With a message of hope
Shining in the sunlight
On the pier's concrete slope
A person in despair
Feeling lost and alone
Staring at the water
With a heart of stone
But then a glint of colour
Caught their weary eye
They walked towards the plastic
And gave it a try
They read the words of kindness
That Mrs Platten wrote
They felt a surge of gratitude
And a lump in their throat
They realised they mattered
They had a reason to live
They thanked Mrs Platten
For the gift she did give
A little bit of plastic
With a message
of hope
Saved a precious life
On the pier's concrete slope.
I walked again the concrete pier
Along the slope of hope
I wandered amoung the rconcrete
I’m at the end of my rope
The little bits of plastic
That had caught my weary eye
Now roughly ripped off shards
Lost beneath the empty sky
Standing at the water's edge
My life is drifting past
Balanced on a narrow ledge
Could this be my last?
A tiny piece of plastic
Diffused the light enough
To trace its jagged edges
Uneven, coarse and rough
If only I had realised
The reason why I live
Recall one hopeful message
Receive that precious gift
My blood relieves the pain
In horror I stare aghast
What more could I gain
If this day, my last?
A little bit of plastic
Secured to plastic ties
Nothing quite so pitiful
When hope withers and dies
If you’re feeling lost and alone
And reach your final end
Phone the number on the plastic
Samaritans your best and only friend.
David Robinson
About this poem
During COVID lockdown in the UK one lady Mrs Platten was concerned about the mental health of ordinary people in Norfolk. She took it upon herself, with the blessing of the local authority to pin large pieces of perspex to the railings on Gorleston Pier. Each piece contained an inspirational message of hope. One person who was suicidal read a message and their life was saved. However, when lockdown ended these were ripped off from the ties that held them to the railings. All that was left was odd corners or remnants of the plastic and their ties. more »
Written on October 19, 2023
Submitted by davidrobinson293 on October 19, 2023
- 1:33 min read
- 44 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | a AbcB dexe dfaf xgxg xhxxAibxB xbcb afxf jkjk alxl chixmkmk Anxn eoao |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,542 |
Words | 310 |
Stanzas | 13 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 9, 4, 4, 4, 4, 8, 4, 4 |
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"Gorleston Pier - A Little Bit of" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/172915/gorleston-pier---a-little-bit-of>.
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