Moorland
'Twas a rancorous day
Grey earth and sky gathering
And an arctic blast smattering
Freezing sleet
On the unshorn hummocks
Of that desolate heath.
January.
And the old winding track
Become a gushing stream bed
Oe’r which runoff gurgled
To an engorged brook ahead.
Wind lashed I splashed
Up to Brown Edge
Where an ancient cairn
Marks the way
And sheltered in the lee of it
Surveying the valley below
But all I could see of it
Was gloom as another
Blast of wet snow
Merged with the murk
Of that godless moor.
Your words beautifully convey the sensations of being on that moor.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda. I tried very hard to paint a picture of the walk I took on Thursday afternoon.
DeleteThe bleakness is depicted brilliantly both in word and in picture....
ReplyDeleteA different environment from your neck of the woods.
DeleteYes, it is...in many ways...and each in many ways has its own unique beauty.
DeleteI don't know of any moorland or cairns 'round these parts, but for sure winter has its bleak moments! A lovely, descriptive poem. Who owns the vast expanse of moorland in your photo and does nothing useful grow well there?
ReplyDeleteNo nothing grows there but rough grass and heather. Upland sheep can find some sustenance there and the red grouse hide in the heather. The land used to be owned by an aristocrat but now it belongs to The Peak District National Park.
DeleteYou get the sense of cold and isolation on a barren peak. Is an eagle watching the valley below?
ReplyDeleteWe don't have eagles in South Yorkshire any more apart from me with my eagle eyes.
DeleteBeautiful. I've always wanted to see the moors if England. Your poem painted a vivid picture of one for me.
ReplyDelete*of* England.
DeleteThere are no moors like this in the south of England but plenty in Yorkshire and Northumberland.
DeleteThe muddy track looks less than inviting!
ReplyDeleteEven though I know every word in your poem, I probably wouldn't think of them too easily. Do you use a thesaurus or do you tap into your vocab more easily?
Sometimes I consider synonyms ( a facility within Word) but mostly the words just emerge from my grey matter.
DeleteLovely photos and the poem desribes them beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI've learnt new words here: rancorous, unshorn and murk.
Greetings Maria x
Thank you for reading this poem Maria and for thinking about it.
DeleteWhat a lovely shot at the top with the light coming through the clouds and the grey below. I'm with kylie; I've often wondered how hard and long you labour over your poetry or if it rolls out of your head mostly formed! You certainly have an extensive vocabulary and put it to good use.
ReplyDeleteSee my response to Kylie above. I like to make poems that will speak to others and therefore never set out to deliberately invest my poetry with unfamiliar words.
DeleteHave you thought of publishing a book of your poems, with suitable photos? The one above makes me think it would be a good idea to share your poetry and photography with a much wider audience than blogland.
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling by again CG. This year I hope to pull a selection of my poems together and I shall publish them in an e-book as getting anything through a proper publisher is like climbing Everest in your pyjamas.
DeleteFor me, the first picture has breathtaking quality. It does not need words to speak to me, but the words you did add are just perfect for it. Coppa's idea is good - I would definitely buy the book, with or without poems.
ReplyDeleteWhen taking photographs in the countryside, sometimes you must remember to turn around. That's how I saw the first picture.
DeleteA rancorous day - I like that expression. Your words match the photographs wonderfully well.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue. Most kind to say that.
DeleteI'm off to get a coffee to warm up.
ReplyDeletePut a nip of whisky in there too ADDY.
DeleteI felt as though I was there, but glad I wasn't.
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
Tom wouldn't have approved of you walking out with me.
DeleteLewis perfectly described.
ReplyDeleteI know you have summery days there too - well, one in a decade perhaps.
DeleteDefinitely a day to stay indoors! But having said that, you got some great photos and your poem describes everything to a tee.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to feel the elements when they are wild and raw... but not for too long.
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