Soggy Sidmouth (Sunday 29 April 2012) Poem by William Messent

Grey and wet,
A soggy Sidmouth
Greets the stalwart Sunday trippers,

Peering out
Through steamed up windows,
Squinting now through windscreen wipers.

Visitors
With gay umbrellas
Scan the grim Edwardian villas,

Images
In puddle pictures;
Scenic vistas bleached of colour.

Stormy night
Leaves sand and pebbles,
Displaced beach huts, upturned tables.

Biting wind
Meets battling walkers.
Ice cream parlours long deserted.

Remind me,
What was the attraction
Of this seaside town in Devon?