The early stanzas of ‘Hove Lawns to Brighton Pier – March’ were written during the first Tears in the Fence online workshop on ‘Obsession’. We were asked to consider our habits, the things we return to, and repetition, both in our poetry and wider lives: objects, patterns of behaviour, landscapes, etc.
One element that particularly resonated with me was the concept of the repeated walk and the many perspectives, characters, mysteries, discoveries, and stories that can be revealed through the small changes and details that one may see on such a walk. As it happened, at the time of the workshop I was doing just that. These were the first weeks of lockdown and I was in the habit of taking long walks at dawn to the coast between Brighton and Portslade to avoid the crowds.
The complete poem will be published in issue 72 of Tears in the Fence. An enormous thank you to David Caddy and Louise Buchler for publishing it, and for encouraging me to keep submitting. In the weeks after composing the written poem, I augmented it into a poetry film using footage from my walks. I hope you enjoy it.
Joanna Nissel 4th September 2020
(Joanna Nissel is reading at the Tears in the Fence Festival on Friday, 11th September)
Tears in the Fence 
This should surely go down as one of the most telling accounts of March 2020. The repetition, walking rhythm, the little changes against the same scene, gave this film poem a surprising air of never-resolved suspense. I watched attentively to the end.
Thank you so much, Sarah. That’s very kind of you to say!
Thank you. What a hypnotic and moving poem. I’ve watched it twice, keep finding new Insights there, like shells in sand.
I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for leaving such a lovely comment.
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