Sunday 15 September 2013

Wish me well.






An amber setting sun
casts my shadow westwards
long and brawn
across the hillocks of dunes
I have the sand and grit
of shetland
under my nails
grating with every depth i delve

my pony waits impatiently
rope tied to a lichened stone lintel
beside the church
he shakes and snorts
pawing the ground into heaps
and snatching at drifts of long grass
now dried to parchment ribbons

panic makes me dig faster
i must away soon
maybe to fight
certainly to defend
my waiting family
strong-held for the moment behind
high stone and prayers
i say a silent curse
to the cur who has led us to this

pushing bundles
wrapped in coarse wool
and downy feathers deep
our precious family treasure
covered by shards of shell and pebble
a grassy disguise pulled over
i count steps to remember this place
if god allows our return.

Wish me well.

KD 15/9/13

This is my piece for Tess Kincad and  The Mag.
The picture prompt lead me to here and the story of the treasure of St Ninian's and so my inspiration for this poem.


12 comments:

  1. Kay, this is incredibly rich, textural ... beautiful.

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  2. Nice one in the first person. How this beautiful treasure was kept all those centuries in the church.

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  3. Expertly handled; beautifully written.

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  4. Delightful! The sand...the ponies...all so very evocative of Shetland...

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  5. strong-held for the moment behind
    high stone and prayers

    A defence many need to this day...

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  6. You went another step forward and made wonderful discoveries. Thanks for sharing Kay!

    Hank

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  7. A beautiful piece. I loved the musicality of the verse. Wonedrful pictures created for me. Well done.

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  8. Fare thee well, brave warrior....

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  9. Magpie Tales lead me here and I am so glad it did. Your thoughts are lyrical and imaginative. I enjoyed reading through several of your posts.

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  10. Well done, vivid story of the treasure. Guess it didn't turn out so well...

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