The Offing
by Jonathan Carr
Little memorial plaques like postcards are screwed to the end of the pier – but why here? A jutting departure from the mainland, the pier has its own thin jurisdiction: old rules and byelaws get stuck at the toll-house gate, promenaders walk with lighter steps and grieving is unforbidden. Standing before a sudden ending you cannot help but stare into the offing. It is empty of everything, everything but an old fort shimmering into view. In peacetime, pirate radio broadcast bubblegum from this floating outpost. Turn the dial again. Out of the crackling air – it is a different music that you hear.
Jonathan Carr has published a range of poems in magazines and anthologies such as Orbis, The Interpreter’s House and Poetry Salzburg Review as well as having poems placed in various competitions. He also writes articles and films, including the animated short, The Magnificent Lion Boy that premiered in Cannes, was longlisted for a BAFTA and shortlisted for a Royal Television Society Award.