Well I have another three and I am very happy with these so lets get right down to the nitty gritty:
25th June
A Healing Circle
Round and round and round we go
Follow the path, all we need to know.
Find the centre that’s the plan,
Return again a better man.
Round and round and round we’re yet
Upon a path ordained, it’s set
From here to there and then return.
A healing circle, look and learn.
Round and round and round we walk.
The path is clear, no need to talk.
It spirals in, then out again.
A healing prayer to ease the pain.
My wife and I visited a “Garden of Well-Being” inGloucestershire, called Matara. The gardens have been designed to create a
sense of calmness, and contain elements of Japanese (Zen garden) and Celtic
traditions (mazes or labrynths). The double spiral is a common form of the
single route labrynth and is called here a healing circle. The idea being that
you walk forward to get to the centre and by keeping going in the same
direction you reach the exit, a different exit of course.
I started to write this lying in bed in the hotel we stayed
in for two days visiting two wonderful gardens. It was very early and most of
it came to me without too much conscious thought but I had to write it down
before I forgot it. At 5.00 a.m. this would have been a distinct possibility.
The first verse came out in one go. The second verse was a
little more difficult to find and in fact it nearly did not get written. I
wrote the third verse after the first and thought that the poem was complete
but after a little break decided to add another verse. The second line of the
last verse originally read:
" It spirals in, it spirals out."
However, rhyming with “out” was difficult and so came up
with the alternative seen above.
The last verse eventually appeared, still using the same
repetition as the other verses for the first line. The rhyming couplet gave me
a little trouble, which is why the second line is a little stilted The word
order being a little unnatural although not unforgivingly so.
The third line also took two attempts, firstly:
“From here to there and back again”
The lack of a suitable rhyme again led me to change to a
slightly different tack.
When a lyric or poem “falls” out on to the paper quickly,
without needing too much concentration on my part, I often find that it is one
of my favourites. Although it is only days since this was written, I believe
this will be the case with this poem. I must admit to being quite pleased with
it.
25th June
As in a dream!
I am so glad that I did get up and write the last poem down.
When I got back in bed I was obviously on overdrive and another poem came very
quickly to mind. Again it did not need much work from me, the lines coming very
easily. This time I did not write the poem down straightaway, I allowed myself
to drop off to sleep – and of course later on upon reawakening, I had
completely forgotten it. I remembered that I had completed it but could not
even remember the theme or subject of the poem except that it was something to
do with the visit of the day before. Just like a dream it had evaporated
completely.
26th June
The Black Tower
A calming scene of luscious green
A tangled woody bower,
A colourful riot before one’s eyes
And then afar a tower.
The tower is in black stone built,
The local stone is sand,
I cannot help but wonder why
The builder made this stand.
The crenellations ‘round the top
Add to the mystery
Like a castle on a hill top proud.
The man a dreamer, he.
Was it a show of daring-do
Or was there a special reason?
But either way, to travellers’ eyes
It stands out all year, each season.
A photo of a distant tower seen at Old Sodbury,
Gloucestershire. I was struck by the colour of it as we drove by. Virtually all
other buildings were in the oolitic limestone common to the Cotswold area. In
fact the councils will not allow any other materials to be used for new
buildings in an effort to maintain the scenic beauty of this wonderful
location.
I have very little to say about this poem, it being another
one that came out very easily. Again, the last verse was written before the
final verse but not an uncommon issue, I would guess. In the third verse above
the third and fourth lines have been changed, the originals being:
“Looking to all who pass it by
Like a castle, there to see”
I am very glad that I took a few seconds to change it.
Oh yes, crenellations are the shapes of the rectangular,
protective devices seen around the battlements and towers of a castle. A note on the tower from Wikipedia:-
There is a crenellated tower on the escarpment immediately above and to
the East of the village, resembling a rook chesspiece, visible from the
main road, that performs the function of a ventilation shaft (the first
of six) for the Chipping Sodbury Tunnel, on the main railway line from South Wales, via Bristol Parkway to London Paddington). These shafts were designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway, which runs through the village and under the hill above it.
Actually I am going to call it a day for this post there, I will post the third poem in my next posting.
