Sunday 27 June 2010

Jumping on the Poetry Bus.

This week's challenge involves signposts. I love them - some of the place names on them are so fascinating that even though you only pass by you become intrigued with the names on the sign.
When I lived in the Midlands I used to pass a signpost to Wyre Piddle - never went there but what a name! And in my childhood there was a signpost to Wasps Nest (a little village). A work colleague used to say he was sorry he had such an ordinary name - he would really have liked to be called Burton Bradstock - and that's a village too.
So, enough rambling on, here is my Poetry Bus seat ticket for this week:-

The Signpost.

No Through Road
it said -
but nobody told the rabbits
or the badger on his evening run,
and the cranesbill
still
sent its seeds
hurtling on.

So I went,
following the trail
of badger and rabbit,
pushing through
the deepest blue
as the cranesbill
marked a way.

And I found a glade
of dappled shade.
Once through, I knew
that this was as far
as I wished to go.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh Weaver this is so down to earth yet magical at the same time. I really adore the ending
"Once through, I knew
that this was as far
as I wished to go."
I wonder if your wishes will change if and when you revisit the glade

Dartford Warbler said...

This is beautiful. It made me homesick for our Yorkshire days and the lanes in the Dales, lined with blue cranesbill.Thank you.

Rachel Fox said...

Enjoyed this very much - good one!
x

Dave King said...

That is lovely. It avoids all the usual pitfalls of such verse. It is, just simply, excellent.

steven said...

weaver - it's like a little taste of mary webb! simply beautiful. steven

Totalfeckineejit said...

Anmother of your lovely walks Weaver.Beautifully done.

Gwil W said...

What a really lovely poem. Reminds me of Frost. Well done!

Heather said...

What a delightful and dreamy poem Pat. There is a village a few miles from here called Nempnett Thrubwell - I love that name.

Peter Goulding said...

This would not be out of place in a book of romantic poetry. Absolutely beautiful. Not sure if the word 'dappled' isn't a poetical cliche in itself? But the poem really makes me want to go for a walk in the country.

Niamh B said...

That is a lovely lovely poem, it's relaxing just to read it, and I love the idea of the animals ignoring the sign, as they should do.

Jinksy said...

There speaks a country girl! Worth a vertable season ticket on the poetry bus. :)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for the comments.

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

I love the description here - I could imagine the field and the animals really clearly, a nice refreshing image for a hot summer's day

Argent said...

Lovely, unpretentious language here. Simply drawn with a light touch. Niiiice!

There was a village near Newbury called World's End - imagine living there. My favorite village/character name would be Kirby Muxloe (in Oxfordshire I think).

Eryl said...

One of my favourite rainy day pastimes when my son was little was searching maps together for amusing village names.

Your poem is a lovely journey.

Bovey Belle said...

What a pretty poem, evoking memories of walks along magical lanes.

There's a village on the Shropshire/Welsh borders called New Invention (something to do with a special horse-shoe made by the village blacksmith I believe, which was fitted on backwards on the horse "to confuse the enemy"!) It was where they filmed Mary Webb's Gone to Earth back in 1950 . . .

Surprisingly (just looked it up) there's TWO - t'other is in Willenhall, Walsall - where the "Curley Wyrley" canal runs . . .

Karen said...

Oh, Weaver, this is where I want to be. Your language choices are lovely.

Unknown said...

Beautifully understated poem, Weaver! And, to think, one might never know if one took notice of the sign!

Titus said...

This is a truly lovely poem, Weaver. You do have a magic touch with your nature poems.

DCAja said...

lovely poem!
askewa