Turning

the light falls heavy
shadows thick as tar
lattice Norfolk’s lanes
still June
the pall of morning’s chill
mist steams off
barley’s feathery awns
wither in midday’s heat-haze
become brittle
break and litter the soil
each fine day
Sun roasts the grain
as hay fevers the air
a prelude to harvest
mowing, turning and bailing
the grasses
our first clues to winter

~

CLP 30/06/2024