To The Grim Shores – 1st October 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen 
As the language of the night settles in,
   with a candle raised to the sky.
The way ahead is slippery and sodden
   —a vanishing point, a future sigh.

A gloved hand held, we wend our way
   to the rolling river, quiet and moody.
The conspiring trees shake their bones
   at your subtle ceramic beauty.

Your trusting eyes make no plea
   as you submerge under the darkened depths.
Your silken arms are the last I see,
   the last twinkling that the moon protects.

I walk with you, across the many bridges
   that lead us out to the troubled seas.
I’ll wait for you on the silent shore,
   framed in judgement by those ageless trees.

Written for dVerse Poetics and inspired by the paintings of John Atkinson Grimshaw, whom I’d never heard of before, but can see very clearly an England that I feel very familiar with. While the use of light in the paintings is somewhat seductive, I couldn’t help but let the darkness in with a story of forbidden love ending in quiet tragedy.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Let Virtue Shine Bright

Darkness lies on either side
The lamp shines until its fuel is spent
As should your truth, justice and self-control
Until your light faces its own descent

13 thoughts on “To The Grim Shores – 1st October 2026”

  1. This is a fantastic intrepretation I esp likeds, “Your trusting eyes make no pleaas you submerge under the darkened depths.Your silken arms are the last I see,the last twinkling that the moon protects.”Very well written, Shaun! 💚

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  2. I love the phrase ‘the language of the night’, Shaun, the sibilant ‘slippery and sodden’ and that ‘vanishing point, a future sigh’ really grabbed me. And the image of someone being submerged ‘under the darkened depths’, their ‘silken arms’ the last to be seen.

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  7. This is absolutely stellar writing, Shaun. I love how you have explored the dark and poignant aspect of the artwork here. This part stood out to me; “The conspiring trees shake their bones at your subtle ceramic beauty.” 💙💙

    Thank you so much for writing to the prompt 🥰

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