The Featherbeds

The feather beds are a string of mountains near where I live, famous for its raised bog lands, where my father and his brothers cut turf for many years. In spring / summer a wild cotton flower blooms giving the mountains their name. In youths embrace I walked in mountains, My father’s steps I tried to follow. He led the way from town to wilderness And there it was my soul he freed. Windswept hills of raised bog and peregrine, Swooped winds flared the will of the wisp. Cotton top flowers waved their white clouds, Beckoning me, to loose myself in awe. Slain and sod, man and muscle worked as one, Bright Heather draped the hills a regal hue. Bracken fronds greened the soil of spring. Larks and curlew cries hung upon the air. As my father shushed us to silence and embrace, His wonderland of peace. At seasons turn and Bracken colours fade, Gorse and heather flair their restful hues. Sheep saunter through with heads bowed, They slowly leave the mountain once again. The feather beds dim as clouds dip low and veil. And silence flees before winter wind and rain In adults disgrace I left the mountains, My father’s steps hard to follow. Still longing to find the way of wilderness To free my soul once again and be with him.