I recently enjoyed some days in a coastal town

Studying time and looking for books

The weather was quite warm so I explored

The white dust paths from east to west

This inhibited my time in the towns bookshops

Which were often closed when I paid them a visit

But I did find two books by Aldous Huxley

Which I read on the beach with my dear friend Sebastian Barnack

Before we caught the boat train to France

We were met in Calais by Veronica Thwale

Who had invited us to holiday with her

On pages ninety-six and one hundred and three