Thursday 16 July 2009

Buried Treasure.

Today is an important day for me in blogland, for it is a year today since I posted my first blog!
Coincidentally it is the date - July 16th - that Seth Apter (The Altered Page) has asked us all to post one of our early blogs again - one with which we were especially pleased. So I am posting an early poem here - a poem which is very close to my heart. Before I post it, here is a little preliminary paragraph of explanation.
The farmer and I have been married for sixteen years this August. I was a widow and he was a bachelor farmer. Round here there are plenty of bachelor farmers. For one thing, they are so busy working their land that they never have time to socialise or "meet anybody". Farmer's daughters nowadays don't seem to want to marry into farming as they see it as too hard a life.
The result is that these middle-aged farmers grow old alone - it is very sad. And as they grow old I feel they become more insular and enclosed in their own world - rather like the stone-walled fields they work on.
When we were "courting", if I walked through the fields and didn't see him, I would leave the farmer a message on the electric fence enclosing his dairy herd - that message would be a tiny bunch of wild flowers tied up with grass.
So here is the poem I first posted last July. I hope you enjoy it.

Message on a Wire

There is a stillness in your field.
Not a silence,
(for the mistle-thrush sings
on the topmost bough of the hawthorn,
and the beck finds its voice
as it slips over the stones
into the South meadow.)
But a stillness
from long ago
when the stone walls were built,
when the grass was sown
and peppered with wild flowers
in their season.

One day in July
the stillness would be broken.
The grass would be mown,
tossed, dried in the sun, smelt
and carried away to the stack.
Then the stillness would return.

Men who care for fields
feel that stillness,
soak it into their bones,
become that stillness,
protected, cocooned,
within the confines of their walls.

I walked across your field today.
I could leave a message
on your answer-phone.

Or I could leave
two buttercups,
a herb-robert
and a cuckoo flower,
tied with a strand of grass,
hung on the electric fence.

Either way you will know..........

49 comments:

Pondside said...

The story and the poem - too, too lovely. Lucky farmer, and lucky you to have found one another.

Reader Wil said...

What a lovely story, Weaver! You are so fortunate to have met, after losing your first husband. I wish you many good years together.

Sara said...

Happy Blogland anniversary! It's such a nice place to visit isn't it? Your poem is so romantic - it gave me goose bumps. I bet it meant the world to the farmer to find your flowers.

Arija said...

Congratulations on your first year of blogging! I starten just two weeks before you.
I love your poem, so much nicer than leaving a message on the cell phone! There is after all nothing like love, young or not so young.
I think it a nice idea to re-post an early one, so few people saw them when we first started out.

I am so glad the pony and owner were re-united, it did sound so distressed.

steven said...

hello weaver, i'm grateful to have the opportunity to read your writing every day. it's extraordinary isn't it!! the poem and accompanying story are really lovely. thanks. have a peaceful day. steven

Unknown said...

Hello Weaver,

Happy anniversary for today and for August, when it comes. Shows how smitten you must have been to risk electrocution with your posy!!

Tess Kincaid said...

Congratulations on your first year of blogging! I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you and hope for many more wonderful years of blog. :^)

Sal said...

Happy blog birthday!
What a lovely story...hope you have many more years of happiness with your farmer!
;-)

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Such a lovely poem. And a wonderful love story. I am happy you are in blogland, as I so enjoy my visits here in your world. Happy anniversary! Have a celebratory day!

Totalfeckineejit said...

That is so good,weaver.If I show this poem to Mrs EEjit i think she may cry.

Hildred said...

Very beautiful Weaver, - what a lovely, romantic imagination you have, and you must have inspired the Farmer with your loving ways.

Charles and I wish you both much happiness in the years to come.

Leenie said...

Congratulations on your blog anniversary! Wondeful story about your courtship. The poem is so well expressed and even better with the background. Best wishes to you and your farmer.

Raph G. Neckmann said...

Oh Weaver - how wonderfully romantic! Your poem has brought tears to my eyes, and so have the thoughts in the rest of your post. I'm so glad you and your Farmer found each other!

Congratulations on your Bloggy Anniversary! I so enjoy your posts - you were one of the first bloggers I read, and the very first blogger to leave a comment on mine!

Anonymous said...

Lovely re-post. Beauty-full Poem. Thank you.
Meeting you for the first time, via Seth.
Happy BlogBirthDay!
xxx

DJ said...

Your story is inspirational, and your writing is stunning.
Truth is more romantic & breath-taking than fiction any day.
From one who found a happy marriage late in life,
Love & Laughter
DJ

Elizabeth said...

I find this very romantic and charming
and a wonderfully touching poem.
Congratulations on your year of blogging.
I find it so enriches my life.

Heather said...

What a lovely story Weaver - you are practically newly weds! Your poem is beautiful and very touching. I am so glad you and the farmer found happiness with each other after the loss of your first husband and wish you many more years together and a very happy 'bloggyversary'.

Kim Palmer said...

Oh Weaver, be still my heart! No wonder the farmer couldn't resist you, you romantic girl!!! Ah, but seriously, love your poem, just beautiful. I know exactly what you mean about the stillness but not silence! Congrats on your blogiversary too!!! Thank goodness you joined in, what a loss to us all if you had not! Hugs.

gleaner said...

Congratulations on your blogsday birthday Weaver! Hoping for many more bloggy years.

Charming story, this city girl wonders whether you risked electrocution from the wire fence whilst positioning your flowers.

Anonymous said...

lovely.

delighted to have found you.

Denise Burden said...

Ooh! My eyes welled up when I read todays posting. I am privileged to know both the Weaver and the Farmer as friends - I live nearby. They are a wonderful couple and their happiness spills over and makes lots of other people happy too - they're contagious!
Weaver has turned the Farmer's ordered world upside down - but he loves her for it!
Eyes are welling up again. This is not supposed to happen. After all we ARE English - we're not supposed to do emotions...

Lucky Dip Lisa said...

This paragraph especially..
...But a stillness
from long ago
when the stone walls were built,
when the grass was sown
and peppered with wild flowers
in their season....

Speaks so softly and beautifully to me. Congrats on your one year birthday!

Titus said...

Oh, just lovely. And congratulations.

~*~Patty S said...

really wonderful and so touching
so glad Seth has me glued to my seat today and I came to visit your blog!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Your poem and subsequent life adventure are truly inspiring. Your blog banner is gorgeous, too. The landscape is so different from Kansas in the US.

I loved and was deeply moved by the poem and was intrigued by your mention of herb-robert
and cuckoo flower, two things I've never heard of. At least I've heard of buttercups!

Mary S. Hunt said...

you are a lovely soul..
happy anniversary all around
enjoyed meeting you!

Cloudia said...

Only one year?!

Thank you for sharing this deeply personal and universally resonant gem with us. Lucky Farmer.

You've lightened my distant hovering fears of further ageing as well today. Thank You Sister.
My post tomorrow thinks of you as well - epecially after this dear post/poem.
Aloha-

Comfort Spiral

BT said...

Well what an enchanting post Weaver. How lucky the farmer was that you found him! What a wonderful poem too. Happy Bloggy Anniversary. xx

deb said...

lucky man! and beautiful words, I can almost feel myself home in England's green verdant. Happy Anniversary

mrsnesbitt said...

Wonderful story behind this! One Year! Wow!

alaine@éclectique said...

Firstly, congratulations on your 1st blogging anniversary!

The poem is really sweet; glad you found another love.

Jeannette StG said...

You are a romantic soul! No wonder you won his heart:) Who could resist a flower-message like yours! Even a stony heart would melt. Congrats with your anniversary:)

Anonymous said...

Happy blogiversary and many more! The poem's delightful - from the heart in sentiment and from the head in form and structure. The best kind.

Dick

Dominic Rivron said...

A belated happy bloggaversary. Good poem. I think I forgot about mine. I'll have to go delving into my archive...

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

I love this poem Weaver. Perfect.

The Weaver of Grass said...

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THE REALLY HEART-WARMING COMMENTS. NO TIME TO REPLY TO YOU ALL BUT HAVE VISITED MY NEW READERS AND LEFT A COMMENT. TO MY OLD FAITHFUL READERS I SAY - YOUR RESPONSE IS SO VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. HERE IS TO THE NEXT YEAR OF BLOGGING. LOVE TO YOU ALL.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Derrick made me laugh out loud with his comment on electrocution! For those who are interested - if you touch a cattle electric fence you get a strong "kick" but that's all and I got very good at hooking the flowers on the wire without touching it.
For those who wish to know - herb robert is a tiny pink flower in thegeranium family (purpureum) and cuckoo flower is a pretty pale mauve flower - cardamine - commonly called milkmaids up here and much welcomed in the Spring.

Ginny Gaskill said...

You touched my heart. Thank you.

Kelly Jeanette Swift said...

A lovely poem, with a beautiful story behind it. Much happiness to you and the farmer. And happy blog birthday.

Jinksy said...

Say it with flowers...:)

girlgonethreadwild said...

Happy Anniversary!

What a fun story, I'm sew happy I caught up to you via the buried treasure re-post!

3rdEyeMuse said...

what a lovely, lovely poem - thank you ... for it & the story behind it.

... and ... Happy blogaversary!!

Patti Sandham said...

Happy Anniversary

Love the heart warming story and such a beautiful way to show a connection with mother earth. :)

A tired retired recluse @ Swallowcliffs.blogspot.com/ said...

A lovely story and a lovely poem. Could I have copy of it?

Debrina said...

I'm slowly making my way through Seth's collaboration list, and next up is yours! What a tender poem - and it is such an EXCELLENT poem too. Have you published an anthology of your poems?? They are so good! I will most definitely be back!

Diane said...

Wonderful poem. I was just thinking about stillness today . . . I live in a city, but I was walking along a shady residential street with large trees and all of a sudden it just felt still - the air was a lovely shade of cool green and time just stood still for a few moments. It was wonderful and your poem brought that back for me - thanks!

Seth said...

First of all...happy anniversary. One year! Congratulations. What a touching story, beautiful poem, and happy ending! So glad I had a chance to read this and learn a little bit more about you! Thanks for being a part of this collaboration.

ArtPropelled said...

Such a touching poem, Weaver. I love this post. Glad you re-posted and congratulations on your first year anniversary!

Lila Rostenberg said...

My first visit to your blog! Happy blogging annivesary!
Your photos and stories are wonderful!