Mudlarks

Inspired by ‘The Mudlarks Memorial’ at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Mudlarking, skylarking

tousle-topped, dirt-streaked faces

squint in the heat of the day

sun-burnt stringy limbs, seaweed strewn

slither like eels

trudge treacle-deep

for treasures long-lost

a pressed shilling, silver sixpence

a glint of pirate gold, perhaps

then a penny, round, tarnished

flipped with a toothy grin

by a faceless stranger

they dart like shads

into mudflats thick with promise

later scramble home for tea

reeking of bladderwrack and cockles,

they screech like baby seagulls.

Published by Ingenue, autumn issue 2024