DONKERGAT
At Donkergat
The whales are still crying
Rattle of harpoon and winch
Sound of whales dying
Sea mist rolling in
South-Easter blowing
Dark sounds on the wind
Forgotten blood still flowing
The West Coast sea remembers
Men’s voices shouting
Dark shapes in a blood sea
Flags in the sea mist floating
At Donkergat
The whales are still crying
Rattle of harpoon and winch
Sound of whales dying
The pier is black with memory
Green water rising and falling
The smell of blood in the mist
Whales still calling
At Donkergat
The whales are still crying
Rattle of harpoon and winch
Sound of whales dying
I remember standing on the blackened timbers of the pier, watching the slow green water rise and fall as if some large creature below and breathing it up and down. I discovered some pieces of abandoned machinery rusting in the salt air. For the rest it was deserted. This was before I knew that there had been a whaling station here.
The old whaling station was officially closed in 1975 and entry is no longer permitted.
- Barbara Fairhead