Creeping somewhere between
Day and Night
Clarity obscured but
Strangely visible
Sound there
But audibly different
Senses dulled and clouded
Sharpened by drips off trees
Bent stems flopped forward
Flower over flower
Petals strewn confetti
On sodden grass
An absence of birds
Gives way to a feeling of emptiness
Changing states
One path crosses another
But the end cannot be seen.
Bats
Shadows in the night
Flickers of a silent film
Across the screen
Night
night lingers long
sleep exits the open window
fingers tap
And Falling
Shower after shower circles these shores
Sweeps over the moors
Flattening the bracken
Sheep shelter for cover
Skylarks stop singing
New streams are filling
Dancing down the slopes
Redefining the map
Shimmering against the purple heather
Green growth is abundant
But flowers faded have fallen
Leaf strewn lawns traversed by molluscs not humans
And the wind chases the clouds
Ever strengthening
Raindrops keep growing in size
And falling.
Reluctant Walk
Horizontal mist
Wind sweeps across the hill top
Reluctant we walk.
She’s now 6 months and hates to walk on her own without Blue and dislikes rain – not much good in Devon!
The Beach Bamburgh
We had a very hasty picnic having walked over the dunes to the castle and village . Walking back along the beach we stopped for lunch and then the heavens opened . By the time we got back to the car we were soaked and covered in sand from walking through the grasses over the sand dunes .
The rain was torrential all afternoon so I decided to get the paints out and recreate the lovely view we had for the few minutes before the rain.
Harthope Valley – Haiku
High along a pass
The stream follows the valley
Painting a picture
We found this amazing valley after following signs over a very narrow road which dropped down into a hidden valley some 5 miles long.The views were utterly breathtaking and we had it to ourselves.
Bamburgh Castle – Haiku
Above fortified walls
Dramatic clouds crease skies
Medieval wonder.
Castle in the sand
A border occupation
Bucket and spade.
Forecast – a haibun
Speckled the sky
Blankets the stratus
Signals a change
Of the English sky
Such is obsession
To look up and predict
Never a constant given.
Mackerel sky
A forecast of the morning
Rain tonight.
Night Watch Privilege
Night
Through hours past midnight
Stretches time
Unusually dark and moonless
The air holds its breath
Through drawn fingers of spent wind
Total silence is layered
Like black is to white
To the stillness
The ticking of the watch
Pulsation synchronised
To heartbeat
The breath of the cows slow and warm
The distant horn of the lighthouse
25 miles out
Strangeness its rhythm
These things which disregarded are
When the dawn begins
A palpitating constancy like breathing itself.
Ruth Partridge 