Tag Archives: History

On The Great Plains

Using graphics to

remember all kinds of stuff

such as history

~

n.b. American Bison / also known as buffalo / Bob Marley / Buffalo Soldiers / African-American regiments of the US Army / Civil wars of the USA / Indigenous Americans* / First Nation / slavery / colonisation / land grabs / exploitation / What is freedom? / What do we love and whom do we love? / Who pays for prosperity? / Is a life survived best left unexposed? / ethics / Trace’ by Lauret Savoy.

* I am uncertain how to collectively name the people who populated The Great Plains of the North American continent. Advice happily received.

n.n.b. Inspired by NF. Thank you.

~

CLP 10/03/2021

Lockdown 3 (Day 21) Postscript

To cap a suitably mournful day the UK has now lost over 100,000 people to coronavirus, (source: Public Health England).

Still there is discussion around shutting the airports, ports and the Channel Tunnel to all but the food and materials we need.

Take a moment to reflect on that figure again: 100,162 dead people due to coronavirus.

~

CLP 26/01/2021

On 2020

Memorable year

One I would rather forget

Finally ends here

~

CLP 31/12/2020

On Losing (13)

What was it you said

in response to what I said?

I can’t remember

~

CLP 11/12/2020

On Numbers 530

It doesn’t matter

how many yards it is there

if it’s the wrong way

~

n.b. The old English game of twisting signposts around, or even removing them in case any odd foreign types think of invading, continues. I think some of us are beginning to realise that the reason these islands have not been invaded for such a long time, at least not overtly since the Welsh Tudors took over with the help of the French in CE 1485, is that nobody can be bothered with us…except Alexander Johnson’s Russian exile backers.

There will be some sadness as the EU waves the UK au revoir, but I am sure they have bigger fish to fry. They’ll get over it soon enough. It was a bitter-sweet affair from the start. Stuff happens; move on.

~

CLP 22/10/2020

Mixed Messages

You had me there

When you wrote our hands held each other

“like flower heads turned to the Sun”

You had me there

~

You had me there

When you called to ask

“Why aren’t you here?”

You had me there

~

You had me there

And there

And there

You had me, right there

~

CLP 26th August 2020

On the Road V

Cycling through the country lanes of Norfolk I found myself at this footpath. The English knew the money lay on The Continent in the C13th. The Weavers’ Way is a long-distance tourist footpath acknowledging the importance of the wool trade with Europe in the historical development of England’s economy.

If you would like a copy of the route so you can follow this path yourself, download a .PDF from Norfolk County Council here. The countryside of Norfolk is beautiful.

~

CLP 27/7/2020

Gyrismó

Purple bougainvillea tumbling from baskets decorated our way
In those hours without shade in the hottest heat
We found a route to that other bay soon enough
With its crumbling Crusader castle cut from a cleft in the high valley
Guarding over the café, squared-off with bleached tarpaulins
Sitting like a brig roped to the quay, its skeleton crew manning the gangway
You sheltered at a table with red chequered cloth
A lemonade to hand, listening to the dulcet whispers of cypresses
As I walked out over the heavy stones into the impossible blue
Where I heard that dolphins play at sunrise

With an eye to the Sun’s shifting, we shook off this dream
Stumbled into the bright, cicadas burring louder still 
Untrusting of time, we chose a more direct path
Though paused to squint at the white-washed chapel on the cliff 
Before we cut between concrete-terraced allotments
Their rusted-wire fencing caging yellow trumpets of flowering zucchini
Fig trees fit to drop, propped, tied up; files of leeks with folded leaves.
Bees hurried by, leading us via lemon scents through an alley
To the square, where the old man limped from his coal-black cupboard of a corner-shop
To bring chilled beer and green olives to our off-balance, plastic table
Where we could watch the porters making ready for the ferry back.

.

n.b. www.napowrimo.net 2020: Day 30 prompt: Return.

Christopher Perry

30th April, 2020

Memoried

Picked up as a tale

Dusted off; polished to taste

Presented as Truth

.

CLP 30/03/2020

Under the Moon

Sad-faced dusty rock

Stares dumbly on blue and green

Shifts and swirls of Earth

.

CLP 10/03/2020