I photographed signs for named beach houses around Edisto Beach, SC during 2017-18 while walking with my dog. I transcribed the signs (a statistically responsible 30% sample) into a spreadsheet and scanned their prosody.
I tagged them thematically and sorted the house names into mixed pentameter and then into a set of ten untraditional sonnets with themed verses of between one and eleven lines. It opens and closes with a split geographic couplet. I recorded myself speaking the sonnet cycle, added a track of ocean waves, and cued the photos to match my voice. I tied it all up into this video.
It’s data-driven multi-media poetry. It’s a love letter to Edisto Beach.
Here’s the text of the verse, minus the media:
“Beach Houses” (Courtney S Danforth, 2018)
Shredisto. Carolina Connection.
********
The Beach House. Beach Walker. Beach Ball. Beach Bums.
The Beachcomber. At Beachy McBeach House.
The Beach Boards. Royal Beaches. Beachsmith. Beach.
Coping with the Good Life. Forever Young.
Pause A While. Gray Escape. Halcyon Days.
O Liv a Little. Speur of the Moment.
High Maintenance. Not My Fault. No Regrets.
New Beginning. Within Reason. Still Hope.
Grand View. Sumpin’ Fittin’. Reality.
Volunteer Landing. Pleasant Legacy.
Gone Again. Gone Coastal. Part of the Plan.
No Vacancy. Legacy. Yes Indeed.
Timbuktu. Sentosa. Cork House. Pinch Me.
The Sun Spot. It’s our Edisto Sunset.
********
Saltaire. And Shore Winds. We’re Gone with the Wind.
Sea Breeze. A Carolina Breeze. The Breeze.
The Hurricane. A Good Eye. Gail Force Winds.
Those Tradewinds. A Second Wind. The White Caps.
Happy Return. Happy Hours. Happy Ours.
Sound Pleasure. AJ’s Happy Place. Soulshine.
Carolina Jessamine. Thistle Dew.
Sweetgrass. Palm Cote. Palmetto Daydreaming.
The Oleander. Mae Mae’s Magnolia.
Magnolia Tree House. ACE Treehouse. TreeTops.
The Peach Pit. High Cotton. Palmetto Place.
Palmetto Tides. A Sawyerbean. Top Crop.
All Tuckered Out. Tuckered Out. Slow – No Wake.
In Place, Rest. Beach Dream. Sweet Dreams. Phantasia.
*******
The Honey Hole. Of Randolph Honeybear.
B’s Nest. The Bee’s Hive. Bee Gee’s Getaway.
The Register’s Roost. At Reid’s Roost. The Roost.
Robyn’s Roost. It’s a Byrds Nest. Hoo-T-Hoo.
Pelican’s Rest. The Rusty Pelican.
Pelican Cottage. Pelican Alley.
At Pelican Point. The Pelican Pass.
Pelican Spirits. Three Gulls and a Buoy.
Gulls Galore. Sea Gull II. The Egret’s Flight.
Kingfisher Cove Cottage. It’s Paige’s Tern.
Let’s Flemmingle. The Flamingo. Two-Can.
Green Parrot. Parrot Cay. The Sandpiper.
Sandpiper Crossing. The Painted Bunting.
At Crowfield by the Sea. See The Wren’s Nest.
*******
Squirrel Castle. The Mole Hill. Hungry Bull
The Buck Stops Here. Hart Attack. Salty Dawgs.
The Dawg House. Dog Days. And The Pig Tale II.
Dirt Dauber Nest. The Lepidopter Inn.
Shutterbug. Dragonfly. We’ve Gone Shelling.
The Shrimp House. The l’Oyster. An Oyster Cult.
The Pearl. Conked Out. The Seahorse. Shell Cottage.
The Deviled Crab. Not Too Crabby. Sea Shell.
Rod Tips Up. Pompanos End. Reeley Hours.
Flounderin’ Around. Cuttin’ Loose. Freemans.
Dolphin Watch. The Dolphin. At Dolphin Point.
The Whimsical Whale. An Otter Escape.
Turtle Shores. Turtle Turf. Loggerhead’s Rest.
Toady’s Way. We’re Unleashed. The Wild Kingdom.
*******
Ruff Cs. Obie’s By the Sea. Shore is Nice.
Up A Creek. Up the Creek. Creekmates. Brainwaves.
A Wave Above. Wave Watching. A Shore Thing.
Perpetual Tides. Big Bay Getaway.
Running Tide. Ocean Villa. Ocean Glimpse.
Rip Tide. Seabiscuit. On Harmony Shores.
Tide Together. Down River. Edgewater.
La Coasta Nostra. Susie by the Sea.
The End of the Road. Home Port. The Boat House.
Dri Doc. The Mooring. It’s Anchors Away.
Anchor In. Quarter Deck. Neptune’s Quarters.
Sammy’s Sand Dune. Dune Dancing. The Sand Trap.
The Sand Castle. The Sand Quarters. Gray Sands.
The Sandspur. The Big Sand Pile. Sun-n-Sand.
*******
The Bewitched Beach House. Hug Inn. Inn Different.
Blair House. Hacienda Loca Del Mar.
The Great House. The Last House. Miminuhouse.
Homesley. Vagabond Villa. Chez Nous II.
Side by Side. Our Place. Better Together.
Reunion Hall. Gathering Place. Full House.
C Haven. Summer Haven. Summer House.
Summertime’s Callin’. It’s The Quiet Life.
Beach Blessing. Gods Blessing. Amazing Grace.
Sea Blessings. In Abeyance. Rest in Peace.
Lil Bit of Heav’n. Heaven on Harrelson.
It’s Almost Heaven. Sanctuary Hill.
Coastal Confessions. Now we’re St. Somewhere.
My Searenity. Our Paradise Found.
********
Acappella. Act Two. Low Country Blues.
Music City Miracle. Music Box.
Vava Rules. Alibi. The Peeples Choice.
We’re Not Guilty. Sew Guilty. It’s Just Us.
The Pilot House. Commander. Banker$ Hour$.
Villa Incognito. Tudo Azul.
Ohana. Ravissant. Big Kahuna.
The Chaika. Tivoli. Stella Maris.
Quantico. Sur La Vie. Oogah Boogah.
Lolligaggin. Kickin’ Back. No Worries.
Gone Coastal. Simplicity. The Barefoot.
Foot Loose. E-Z Does It. Azure Like It.
Hang It Up. Slow Drift. Real Escape. At Last.
Big Time. Spare Time. Our Time. Longe Time Comin’.
*******
Clair de Lune. Stare Gazing. Slow Moon Risin’.
Moondance. Another Moondance. Moon Spinner.
Tides of Marsh. Marsh Mellow. Marsh Haven. Marsh.
Jungle Jim. Jungle Belles. Pluff Mud Palace.
Another Round. Loafer’s Glory. Half-Time.
The Pro-Leisure Circuit. It’s Neutral Ground.
SeaCzar’s Palace. Seas the Day. Que SeaRa.
Seas the Moment. Sea Braces. Sea of Sea.
Seabatical. Sea-N-Double. Sea Plus.
Under the Sea. Leg-A-Sea. Sea-N-Inn.
SiteSeaing. Sea Cabin. Sea Shack. Eye Sea.
Sea Boy. Sea Change. Sea Gals. Sea Y’all. We’ll Sea.
Southern Tide. Southern Ease. Southern Comfort.
True Grits. Sweet T. So-Sweet. It’s Lee’s Last Stand.
*******
We’re Safe and Sound. It’s a Sound Investment.
My Risky Business. The Drunken Promise.
Bakers Dozen. Double Trouble. Square One.
Twelve & One. One Too Many. 3 Doors Down.
Lucky XIII. Stage II. 2 Far 2 Fla.
5 o’clock Somewhere. Cheek 2 Cheek. Take Two.
Everything’s Relative. Sisters’ Corner.
Gigi’s Getaway. The Mother Unit.
Family Matters. Our Family Tradition.
Hey, 4 Grands. It’s Big Daddy’s. Papa Joe’s.
Fourever Edisto. Edisto Wood.
Mt. Edisto. Carolina Escape.
Edisnow Lodge. Edisto Oasis.
Edisto Original. Just Trippin’.
*******
Sally Morrison Cottage. Alvarez.
Belvedere. The Martin House. Good-Price House.
Morillo’s Miracle. Hannah’s Promise.
Hannah’s Haven. The Hocutt’s Hideaway.
Hazel Hideaway. Hazel Q. Hines Site.
Langley. Lou Lou’s. Pot’s Place. Pat’s Perch. Koger.
The Sleytonian. The Warren. The Seuss.
The Reesides. The Brady Bunch. The Berg’s Nest.
Tiki Bob. Janet’s Blue Haven. Denton.
Baboo & Bunch. Stockton. Miss B Haven.
Ness-essity. Jo’s Coiner. Bon’s Beach House.
Fripp Flop. Bikini Bottom. My Silk Purse.
Island Time. View Pointe. Sunset On The Sound.
Latitude 32. Gun Bluff. Cares Cay.
On the Rocks. Belladune. Our Island Dream.
*******
Always Edisto. Carolina Blue.
Courtney S. Danforth 