"the sparkling blue bay"
I.M. Lee Harwood
the B & B is warm,
and Earth’s magnetic field
(that comes from its iron core)
will keep him safe
from the solar wind
that made Mars a desert
too cold for life
*
open book, quiet room,
the angle of the planet
in relation to its star
ample illumination
and the satellite networks
free, at this time,
of any news
*
night falls
and beyond the pavilion
selling tombola tickets
and home-made cakes
there is a river
depositing silt
from the last glaciation
*
the sea
makes an appearance;
she might have been
limitless and silent,
but instead,
chose to wrap herself
in voices
*
a breeze is blowing
from an imagined seashore
over Brighton rooftops
towards imagined chalk downs,
carrying seeds
that might grow
in such fertile land
*
it’s true that tonight
it’s cloud-streaked and luminous.
A real treat.
But, hey, says Lee,
can’t we accept the sky
for itself
and not for its riches?
*
Mr Harwood crests the ridge
and looks, wide-eyed,
seeing, as only he could
"the sparkling blue bay".
It would be nice
to share it.
Let's do that.
Alan Baker
I.M. Lee Harwood
the B & B is warm,
and Earth’s magnetic field
(that comes from its iron core)
will keep him safe
from the solar wind
that made Mars a desert
too cold for life
*
open book, quiet room,
the angle of the planet
in relation to its star
ample illumination
and the satellite networks
free, at this time,
of any news
*
night falls
and beyond the pavilion
selling tombola tickets
and home-made cakes
there is a river
depositing silt
from the last glaciation
*
the sea
makes an appearance;
she might have been
limitless and silent,
but instead,
chose to wrap herself
in voices
*
a breeze is blowing
from an imagined seashore
over Brighton rooftops
towards imagined chalk downs,
carrying seeds
that might grow
in such fertile land
*
it’s true that tonight
it’s cloud-streaked and luminous.
A real treat.
But, hey, says Lee,
can’t we accept the sky
for itself
and not for its riches?
*
Mr Harwood crests the ridge
and looks, wide-eyed,
seeing, as only he could
"the sparkling blue bay".
It would be nice
to share it.
Let's do that.
Alan Baker