Before the water

Phillip Berry

the diver plumbs a line through deep black water
a found map brought her here
a looping river, long obliterated
mercantile artery to a forgotten city

she senses with her gloved fingers
sweeps silt, tests mortar, loosens a single brick
now ascends, the artefact pressed to her chest

on the battered skiff, a mere fleck on the grey plane
she rotates it under fixed cloud
there is just enough light
to pick out patterns on pale paint

double curves, a pointed base, vestiges of red pigment
inexpertly drawn by human hands
edges eaten by time, tide and process

she guns the outboard and snakes across the inland sea
her prize nestled in the folds of a towel
while wind snags her wet hair

the forms… they trigger a memory
stories told in history class
pages in a heavy book
a great disaster
a novel threat

and reaction: scepticism, doubt
resistance to new science, to the manipulation of nature
lasting legacies of political choice, neglect, separation and the exercise of power
but understanding, eventually
the meaninglessness of borders
the bias of poverty
the sanctity of information
and the power of scientific knowledge

in this place they came to a wall that stood opposite their masters and made marks
one per victim
a third of a mile
names and words
crowded, niched, contoured

weightless symbols
before the water.

The Science

A diver explores the site of the river Thames in London, UK – now subsumed into a sea formed through global warming. She takes a brick from a structure on the bed, which turns out to be part of the National COVID Memorial Wall. This was a 500 metre long tribute to the victims of the pandemic, on which family members or loved ones came to paint red hearts and leave messages. Over 150,000 hearts were created. It stood directly opposite the Houses of Parliament, clearly visible to politicians who worked there. The Prime Minister of the time decreed that the wall should be preserved. However, it could not withstand the rising tide. The diver, who was taught about the pandemic in school, considers the lessons that were learnt – political, social and scientific. Perhaps, she reflects, the same lessons can be applied to the great challenge that she now lives through – environmental change.

The Poet

Philip Berry’s poetry and short fiction have appeared in Black Bough, Poetry Birmingham, The Healing Muse, Deracine and Dream Noir. He also writes fiction and CNF. Philip is an NHS doctor working in London. His work can be explored at www.philberrycreative.wordpress.com and on Twitter @philaberry.

Next poem: Chromosome One by Caspar Wort