Best Hedgerows Poems
My soul seems to be hidden today.
Where can it conceal itself?
I thought it was always with me,
Roaming the endless paths
That clatter the corridors of my mind,
coursing through my arteries and veins,
invading all essential organs
that keeps me alive all day.
Maybe it flew away
Like some mad eagle that lost its way!
I will not search for it.
It will return when it feels
There is a need for it.
My feet follow tracks unknown
Oblivious of time and space.
I meet old friends and strangers,
I pass on,
I do not recognise their mien.
I thread through paths lined
With rampant dark green ferns,
I slush through shallow muddy pools,
I rest below the copious hedgerows.
Down in the valley cows are milked,
Geese cackle and cocks crow,
Cats copulate in peace.
Fragrance of new-cut hay
Makes my nostrils flare.
Smoke billows from the chimney
Of an old cottage near the farm.
Should I invite myself,
Betake a country hearty meal?
I am welcome
Urged to taste the home-brewed beer
Or the new fermented cheese.
I feel a kind of peace.
Perhaps my soul is back
Or perhaps it's the beer or the cheese.
Who can say?
All around our hedgerows and gardens
Buds are forming bringing brilliant
Colour into our lives where previously
Dreary winter darkness lurked.
Everywhere new life is forming
Fields are bouncing with spring lambs
Gamboling about with their friends.
Hyacinths sensational scent fills the air
I simply love this time of year
Just bursting with new life
Knowing that spring is finally here
Lightens my spirits and
Makes me smile
Nesting birds collect food for fledglings
Only pausing for tiny breaks. They are
Perfect parents who work tirelessly
Quietly and lovingly
Raising their beautiful brood who are
Soon to leave the nest
Trees become dressed in gorgeous green
Until they are fully clothed
Verdant vegetation covers the land
With new crops growing
Xanthic coloured daffodils
Yearn for spring sunshine and merrily they
Zigzag in the warm winds
02~14~15
Contest Abecedarian - Shadow Hamilton
Submitted to Abecedarian contest sponsored by Caren Krutsinger
Bracken breached hawthorn hedgerows
hide teeny folk with tiny toes.
Sheer gossamer wings; shy butterflies
Dew-drops lit by dawning skies.
Sandy hair, blue raven locks
Auburn streaks on chestnut stalks
Valley lilies invert to hats
Wee portabella mushroom caps.
Acorn shoes with resin soles
Lace gartered legs and leafy shawls
Dresses spun from brushed lime silk,
petal pinks, or white as milk.
Impish grins stoke laughing smiles.
whimsy’s sound sets music’s tiles
Curious eyes, small budded nose
cream tinted skin, pink cheeks aglow.
They live near boles of ancient trees
Drink nectar from a hollowed seed
They climb the stems of hollyhocks
They twitter but will rarely talk.
So when you take a morning stroll
pause beside to a sun-lit knoll
The calls you hear mightn’t be birds
and cricket strums won’t mimic words.
The green blades sway in sync.
In unison the leaves do dance.
The lilly pads bop as the water laps.
Hedgerows are captured in a misty trance.
The secret music plays
A melody that only nature knows.
Flora, Fauna and Animals unite.
In their groove happiness flows.
The dawn chorus is so beautiful.
The shape shifting clouds that fill the sky
Are motioned by the force of wind,
That whistling sound that rushes by.
When we feel uplifted, refreshed and soothed,
We are thankful for what nature has shown.
If we were part of nature
The secret music by us would be known.
Written 17-12-2021
The Gorse and Broom now spread a cloth of gold
Robe hillside thus in pristine Spring apparel
With garlands: snowy white, hedgerows enfold
Paired birds that now reprise their joyful carol
Would other realms then imitate this scene
As wheel of life returns the sun in faith
Casts solace to a world in want of dreams
To warm the heart and bless us with God’s Grace
Yet guns and missiles spread a cloth of fire
Fair fabrics torn cross land of golden grain
Now menaced by an evil onslaught dire
Recycled old ambitions gone insane
Pray sacred wheel of fortune lift this bane
Bring Spring of peace and justice to Ukraine
Walk with me in the dank moonlight
through the chill, rising, storm
so we can grasp the majesty
of Dullahan still born.
Without heads his horse and he ride
across the countryside
His head in hand they roam the land
none live where he abides.
A rush of blood, a gory spree
will take the sight of man,
then off they gallop wild and free
Dullahan, head in hand.
Here’s hoping he don’t call your name
for that would be worse by far
your soul would flee and fly with he
a soul as black as tar.
Carry your gold for I am told
this alone does he fear
and we can watch as he rides by
come give us a kiss now, me dear.
The winsome lass took his strong hand
and down the lane they walked
as in the distance hedgerows fired
and hooves clapped as they talked.
The sound drew near, a gate flew wide
the lassie shrieked and ran
so only her randy lad was
taken by Dullahan.
So, don’t think to woo by moonlight
near the shore in Galway
Dullahan hunts with cruel sight
each wayward soul a stray.
*While no-one knows for certain how the Dullahan originated, it is thought that he is the embodiment of the Celtic fertility god, Crom Dubh, who was worshiped by an ancient king of Ireland, Tighermas. Each year, Tighermas sacrificed humans to Crom Dubh, and the usual method was decapitation. The worship of Crom Dubh ended in the sixth century, when Christianity came to Ireland.
* music in About the Poem
Poet: D. Guzzi
The scent of lavender and Rosemary
In the hedgerows as I walk
The fox disappearing so quickly
Into the hollow caves of chalk.
Within the old oak acre
The trees reach up to meet the sky
A humming bird providing magic for
A little boys enquiring eye .
Then I see her wild raven hair
and those gleaming emerald eyes
She beckons me with her finger
To disobey would be unwise .
Though she may be elderly
I know she'll bring me luck
So I carry her crockery
To wash in the friars brook
Then I fetch her water
and I do not spill a drop
I turn to leave as I was taught to
She insists I stop .
She takes my hand in her hand
In silence she reads my palm
I don't know how but I understand
This lady means me no harm .
Then she made a big mistake
Her story did not make sense
What does a child know of heartbreak
Or its dreadful consequence .
I was to remain faithful to my conviction
and true love would find me
I must not be swayed by contradiction
The colour of lavender held my destiny .
At home my grandma told me
Gypsies were fantastic at reading sign
That dear old lady Rosie
Had just predicted mine .
I have had so many heartaches
As into a man I grew
but forever love make no mistake
I still believe in you.
HAIKU & TWO SENRYU
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
white sky... low the clouds
winter... stuck in a drift again
spring... where are you...
~~~
the bobbin dipper flies
below our secret rivers
spring... summer delight
~~~
ring ouzel... moorland
high craggy tors... upland moors
birding adventure
~~~
the avocet
fenland treasure... coastal dream
no spade required
~~~
harbinger of spring
declining population
drives birders cuckoo
~~~
be proud... sing aloud
needs no invitation
jenny wren is spring...
~~~
hedgerows... tinkling bells
charms of goldfinches rejoice
inviting springtime
~~~
a flash... gone... dived
a kingfisher fishing
the river ripples
~~~
look high to the sky
skylarks sing a challenge
give us back our land
~~~
hope... no... it must be
put nature on a rostrum
give back her freedom
~~~
look... oceans waves
on shores display their wisdom
ere we could read it
~~~
rock pools... origins
with good intent life explodes
evolution... real
~~~
our fate in our hands
as is... we will all perish
give nature a chance
~~~
A SENRYU
or
TWO
~~~~~~
no known foibles
maybe a spring twitcher
Maureen McGreavy
Jan Allison
a moral supporter
worth her words
Flaxen fields of rye and wheat
Basking in the summer heat.
The curlews haunting, plaintive cry
In hurried flight they cross the sky.
Around the fields the hedgerows grow
Full of thorny briar, and hazel too.
Stinging nettles crowd the verge,
Buttercups striving, pushing through.
The dandelion clock it waits,
For a gentle summer breeze
For just the slightest breath of air
To spread its dainty seeds.
The sweetest of them all I see
The forget me not enchants me.
Such a tiny thing, a dot of blue
How could we ever, forget you.
And always, there's the bramble
Its tangled thorns everywhere,
But how we love this prickly bush
When it brings its ripened fruits to bear.
The harebells bow their lilac flowers
While purple bonneted thistles tower.
Clover flowering all around,
It's crimson carpet adorns the ground.
All this around our countryside
Just outside our door,
Nature in her summer garb
Who could ask for more.
Azaleas with their vibrant jewelled colours mingle with
Begonias to bring beauty to my garden borders.
Calendula or Marigolds in glorious gold dazzle me like spring sunshine.
Daffodils dance delightfully on a zephyr breeze whilst
Exochorda macrantha is like a spring bride dressed in white pearls.
Forsythia with bright yellow blossom is such a sunny spring shrub
Gentiana is the queen of the alpines with its blue star like blooms.
Hyacinths with their heady scent are stunning when placed with
Irises in lovely lilac shades and grown in the same container.
Jonquil blooms are beautiful with many flowers on one stem.
Koreanspice viburnum provides colour and scent with their fragrant flowers.
Lily of the valley is sweetly scented but be wary as it is poisonous.
Magnolia’s magnificent flowers remind me of pink stars in the daytime.
Nemisia gives out superb scent and a splash of colour.
Oxlips look like large cowslips but with yellow primula flowers
Pansies remind me of smiling faces and brighten my pots
Quince trees produce pretty pink flowers in late spring
Rhododendrons provide a riot of springtime colour
Scillia or bluebells are abundant in April and May
Trillium thrive in a shady spot in your garden
Ulex or gorse gives a golden glow in the hedgerows
Violets have tiny flowers that can be sugared for pretty decorations.
Wallflowers grow anywhere in our gardens … not just by walls!!!
Xeranthemum or immortal flowers are related to sunflowers.
Yarrow has a lovely scent and can be used for medicinal purposes.
Zephyranthes robusta or rain lilies thrive in spring showers.
Spring Abecadarian Contest Sponsored by Shadow Hamilton
04~19~16
Drifting in a memory
of rolling distant hills
stretched out like a waveless ocean of green
the sun blazing way up high
In the stillness of a languid sky
Wandering in the dusty thoughts
of dried up ponds and lanes
bordering hedgerows offering their wares
of treasure shyly peering
a meandering cache suddenly disappearing
Arising in the sweet scented bouquet
Colours of childhood dance
and sing into the breeze
Friuts of summer fall, flowing like a banquet
Take a drink from natures never ending Goblet
Lowly under the shade of the spreading oak
The meadowlark shares his sweet call
as perccusive swaying grasses unite
to fill the air with melody so mellisonant
Cordial thoughts of summers reminiscence
Form:
apples overhang the orchard wall,
sun-kissed drapes now about to fall.
hedgerows ablaze with succulent sweets
will-power melts in a crumble
inspired by Constance's contest
They are along the edge of the woods,
in the meadow along the mighty river,
in a little crack in the drive way,
in orderly spaces in well groomed gardens.
They are in old, forgotten cemetaries,
in hedgerows along schools and shopping centers,
in ballfields, along ponds and ditches,
they popp up on cliffs, on top of windy hills,
in an old and abandoned flowerbox,
or almost empty clay pots.
They grace parking lots, the side of the highway,
they wind up mighty trees, fences and gates,
they thrive between the corn, wheat and barley,
they climb old barns, forgotten homesteads,
they spread out when left unattended,
to mark the spot a family once,
so many years ago, took pride in owning.
They are a prophet of seasons to come,
they are a splash of cheer and color,
they are visited by bees, bugs and butterflies,
they soothe us with their eternal scents,
and they always bring a smile to my face.
Look out the hobyah's are on their way
I hope they don't see me
If I don't manage to hide in time
They'll eat me for their tea
A month ago they came to town
Looking for some food
And as they eat humans, I'm sure you'll agree
That's not very good
So if you see them coming
Run into your house
Hide under your table's
Be quiet as a mouse
They live under the hedgerows
And also under logs
Their not afraid of much you know
But their terrified of dogs
You see one time a big black dog
Bit off a hobyahs head
He pawed and bit another one
Until it to fell down dead
The mayor of our little town
Called a meeting today
He wants everyone who has a dog
To chase the hobyah's away
It turned out that the mayor was right
The man deserves a crown
Everyone who has a dog
Chased the hobyah's out of town
So our lives are now much better
And its a well known fact
The hobyah's are away for good
And there never coming back
Lifting winds cut through the trees
Scouring all of coppered leaves,
Now swirling in the autumn sky,
To flutter down, like butterflies.
Winter now, she bides her time
For soon enough her clock will chime.
She'll open wide her icy hand,
And cast her spell across the land.
In the trees, will squirrels doze.
While creatures snuggle beneath hedgerows,
To quietly wait out winters hold,
In dreys and nests, safe from the cold.
The land around, now dormant, freezing.
It too will sleep, till winter's easing.