of the foreshore

Katie Hart Potapoff

water sand de tri t us
create an ever-shifting terrain 
these are the materials of the foreshore 

some are washed up with the movement of the tide 
others uncovered after time has forgotten
as they move through the surface tension of water 
burrow through sand 
map flotsam and jetsam 
friction creates potential for change

water sand and detritus 
an ever shifting terrain 
these are the materials of the foreshore

The Science

This poem is inspired by site-specific research into the properties of a geographical location always in flux, the foreshore. It considers the different elements of the foreshore and how they shift and change in relation to environmental considerations such as the gravitational pull of tides, as well as our more embodied perceptions of time and place. 

The experimental form also explores the proposed theme of ‘Change’ by utilising the strikethrough as a means to create multiple iterations of the poem, dependent upon how the reader chooses to interpret the visual language presented.

The Poet

Dr Katie Hart Potapoff (she/her) is an artist-researcher and writer based in Scotland. Propelled by a curiosity about the world we inhabit, Katie’s practice traverses both the materials which comprise our landscape and the materials that provoke the thinking and making responses of the artist. Through acts of attentiveness, her work considers the reflexive and attentive perspectives that emerge when elements of poetry and visual art are constellated with place-based responses. Katie’s work has been shared through various symposia, publications, residencies, and collaborative projects across Canada, the US, Ireland, Finland, and the UK. https://linktr.ee/katiehartpotapoff

Next poem: Our Host is About Her Own Business by Lee Fraser