Sunday 18 September 2016

From, A Country Diary


Hill End


of fescues
of the dog violet
the fescues
eyebright
late blooming dog violet
eyebright
selfheal
a late blooming selfheal
tormentil and even a tormentil
and even tormentil
and even tormentil

rain will wash away rain
will be over
will be over
wash away their spoil
in the sun will
their spoil heaps
few weeks
in the sun heaps
and their few weeks
and all trace will disappear  
their all trace
of them
of them
will disappear
of them





Sunday 11 September 2016

From, A Country Diary



Airedale


over my head
over my exhausted
– look –
exhausted head
a jay always
– look, a jay takes flight
in flight  
always takes flight
from the sycamore
but jays in flight
from the sycamore
as the bird exhausted
but jays
– as the bird crosses  
and exhausted crosses
the winged and the river
heavy winged
river to the
– it looks heavy  
to the meadow beyond
it looks meadow and hawthorns
and hawthorns beyond and hawthorns



Wednesday 31 August 2016

From, Country Diary




Backstone Bank


woodland gone
woodland and wood sorrel
and gone were the primroses, wood sorrel
were the songs, sanicle, primroses
songs of woodruff, sanicle
of wood, of woodruff
wood warblers
flowers of warblers
and of spring flowers and blackcaps
the carpet of spring
blackcaps gone too
gone too the carpet
gone too





Saturday 27 August 2016

From, A Country Diary



Drakewalls


now bright
now trees are birch trees
are bright with the lady’s mantle
birch with the summery purples and lady’s mantle
summery purples of fleabane and of selfheal
vetch, fleabane, selfheal, thistle
with yellow vetch, thistle, buddleia
interspersed with yellow
buddleia, rosebay and knapweed interspersed
rosebay and knapweed
rosebay and knapweed
rosebay




Friday 12 August 2016

MORESTEAD





HERE COMMONS MET
 THE FARM ACRES 
 OF THE SOUTH 
EACH WORLD
THE MANY
BOUGHT
FIRS
OF
ROAD
SERVED
OLD LAND
DOWN LEIGH
OF THE GRASS
 AND THEIR RENT 
 NEAR PARISH LANE