Each step I took was into a story ...

I came to the hundred and ninety nine steps - 

Below me was the narrow harbour -

Gulls flew above the tangle of streets -

Fishing boats waited for the tide - 

Dark ale was served in cobwebbed snugs -

A stone pier marked where the Demeter had come to rest - 

I glimpsed old names in the churchyard -

I remembered the arch made by the whale's jawbone - 

Each step I took was into a story -

25 February 2022

Whitby