Journey of Words

Tag: Norfolk

  • Wild Garlic

    Shimmering sheets of ramsonsSpread through the woodRipple in the feckless breezeFootsteps fall softAs if in day old snowEvery gentle crunchEmits another pungent breathBetween harsh shadowsOf ash and sycamoreSquinting in steely sunlightShe stoops to gatherA small handful here another therePicking her way homeWith spring-stained fingers~ CLP 07/04/2025 →

  • on trees

    this Winter lingersno polite exita tip of the hata nodno stepping aside to wave in Springthis winter bids us an insincere farewellpretending it ought leave nowbut waitan umbrella forgottona scarfoh, a glovemy coat! I forgot my coatjust when I thoughtthe door can be firmly closedon the back of this recalcitrantit drags itself reluctantly down the →

  • screech owl

    a hedge-rowed lanedeep into duskdriving on full beamI catch the arcs of your wingsas you swing from left to righthedge-top highscanning the tarmac’s breadthfor a vole or shrewdetermined to make the runscuttering from verge to vergenever mind being rubbed out by tyresit’s you that sends them scurryingwith tiny hearts leapinglittle black bulbous eyesseeking safety in →

  • on the air

    deep into the nightthe descent of fogbrightens the darknessdistributing street lightingthrough millions of airborne dropletssoftening the glaredamping down this late hour’s strange soundsthat carry across the broadover the still woodlandwhat is that distant commotiondisturbing dreams?geese? shouts and cries?distraught dogs?this kingdom is unsettledis this the ghost of Kett’s army? of Lollards fired upto protest sgainat the →

  • on The Broads

    there’s a point herewhere the slow sashay of the Yarconfusesa black-headed gull facing coastwardlooks a tad bewildered as it drifts up-streamon the rising tidereeds bent by winter’s long breathrattle dry stems and sighas the bird rotates in slow motionon an eddy formed by the mixof flow and ebba pair of marsh harriersfloat along the dykesmaking →

  • on Spring

    Easterly persistsGusts dislodge fragile blossomEarly bee makes do~n.b. Cool would be an exaggeration of the air temperature here, but Spring seems to be winning. CLP 17/03/2025 →

  • on March

    immense struggles ‘twixtSpring’s hope and winter’s death throesclimatic combat~n.b. Today, in sunlight there was immediate warmth, but winter still wields its short sword to vicious effect. Brief, brutal hail showers punctuated the day. CLP 13/03/2025 →

  • on assimilation

    Words spoken and heardCame out distinctly NorfolkThis stops, right now!~ n.b. I am not from here. Life brought me here. I do not want to lose my sense of identity. CLP 15/02/2025 →

  • on the turn

    After the freezeDarkness comes laterThere’s softness to airBirdsong less harshA hazel with budsSome crocus leavesSnowdrops swing lightlyBesides daffodil shootsA string of molehillsFrom freshly turned earth~ CLP 13/01/2025 →

  • on water

    Grey shrouds the dayA white disc flitting behindWinter-bare willowsOffers little hope of warmthYet manages to find strengthTo breathe outEnough light to catch the coatOf a great white egretBalancing above the broad~n.b. A great white egret is a rare enough bird for Britain. This afternoon, there were three hanging around University Broad, while a little egret →