from, A Country Diary

Oxfordshire

bonfires these bonfires

the time is the time

these burn

it is burn all day

after it all day

and the hour

after and every day

and the hour

every day

but sunset

but sunset

and but sunset

smoke drifts

smoke disappears

countryside disappears

drifts horizontally

the whole countryside

horizontally over

and the whole

over the fields

the hedges and the fields

and through the hedges

and threads its way through

threads its way

threads its way

trees and trees

smoke and smoke

and mists

mist and mists

and of mist and the planes

of the solid

the flat planes

solid ground itself

because the flat ground itself

seem to –

is it because –

seem to breathe

and skyward

is it breathe

and to gaze

to gaze skyward

to gaze

from, A Country Diary

New Forest

hollies are hollies

bushes hazel bushes

are heavily berried

many hazel

heavily berried

hawthorn lie under

many hawthorn

hedges of cobnuts

lie under hedges

have a strippings of cobnuts

have a magenta

the strippings magenta

sheen foliage

the sheen where the colouring foliage

where the ripened in colouring

ripened fruits hidden

in fruits are

increasingly are

increasingly hidden

are increasingly

from, A Country Diary

Wenlock Edge (second)

the hawthorn berries

the hawthorn moon

under the harvest moon berries

shines nights

under the harvest shines with

and nights with bright autumn rains

and bright autumn days

morning rains

days morning days

morning days

now the haws

now brown gold

brown the haws are

at red

gold are

at their gold red

their most yellow

gold most dazzling

gold yellow dazzling

though green gold

though not gold green

not yet gold

gold yet edible

and is gold edible

and the season

the season is the season

from, A Country Diary

Sandy, Bedfordshire 2

brambles and fallen brambles

and hedge no hedge

fallen branches

no hedge

branches giving no hedge

giving the false impression

no hedge

the false impression of no hedge

of a hedge no hedge

a hedge but no hedge

but lately no hedge

lately the debris

no hedge

the debris had no hedge

had been no hedge

been cleared

no hedge cleared

leaving no hedge

leaving a pronounced no hedge

a pronounced bank

no hedge

bank but no hedge

but no, no hedge

no hedge

no hedge

hedge