On the South Downs
19/08/2012 § 8 Comments
“Warning: all our horses are microchipped
and can be identified by the police.”
An origami bird of prey is skirting the field
looking for meat on the horse-training fertile ground
changing its colour every time a cloud washes over her
or is it only dreaming.
Buttercups are shaking off their wet heads
in the wind
I’m trying not to walk over mushrooms
sitting in clusters
if you come closer
you can see water streaming their bodies
but there is always something to be disturbed
and if only I was a feather to raise with every current of air.
The Seven Sisters in the distance
bodies of sea creatures
pressed together into powder white
years of death upon death
into the white oblivion
They are calling my bones
pile me on
press me tight.
I love the endless fluidity of:
“I’m trying not to walk over mushrooms
sitting in clusters
if you come closer
you can see water streaming their bodies
but there is always something to be disturbed
and if only I was a feather to raise with every current of air.”
Excellent! Particularly the last stanza
Beautiful
Love the tension between ‘a sense of place’ and the existential response to that. Particularly love the white cliffs/white bones image at the end.
lovely poem
Many thanks to all of you for taking time to read this poem and for your generous comments.
Beautiful, I agree with leander, I love the middle section!
I was wondering about The Seven Sister, thinking first of stars, but I suppose you were thinking of cliffs?
In Norway we have some mountains with the same name: De syv søstre: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_syv_søstre
Thank you Sigrun. Yes, I was referring to the white cliffs in England: http://www.sevensisters.org.uk/page64.html De syv søstre are stunning.