Best Sett Poems
Out of the burrows and hedges and dreys
Heads began bobbing and eyes were agaze.
Rumours were twittered and grunted and squealed:
‘The combine is coming to harvest the field!’
The moles and the voles and the rabbits and hares
All hurried and scurried and scattered in pairs.
The hedgehogs and ladybirds, pheasants and shrews
Did all that they could to distribute the news.
Then all made a dash for old wise badger’s sett;
The only safe refuge in face of the threat.
There, in the deep hollow they felt the vibration
They shivered and shuddered in great trepidation.
The thrumming and thundering monster machine
Soon passed overhead... and then all was serene.
And out of the hollow came heads, tails and paws
Another day safe from the harvester’s jaws!
Most recently entered into 'Your Best Rhyme Poem That Is Trophy Worthy Contest 3 Poetry Contest' sponsored by Tania Kitchin - 05.10.19
I chose this poem because not only is it one of my personal favourites, but to this day, I've no idea where all these little creatures came from! Written early on in my poetic endeavours, it made me appreciate fully the amazing powers of the imagination!
'A rattling rhyme contest' sponsored by Nina Parmenter
12/08/18
04/12/18
'I cannot believe I wrote that Poetry contest' : sponsored by Nina Parmenter
Your Choice,Any Form,Any Theme Poetry Contest : sponsored by Brian Strand
Categories:
sett, angst, animal, fear, freedom,
Form:
Rhyme
Snowfall so heavy in 'eighty-two
reproduced a Christmas card view.
A biting wind swirled in one foot drifts
over hanging in bridges..makeshift.
The fields flooded into skating rinks
into which each footstep sinks,
cracking under body weight so
not the best place to skate.
Thawing February brings twitching noses
in tussocks of awakened primroses.
Rummaging on hazel boles,hibernating mammals
poke from the holes.
Leafless hedgerows where buds now form
a carpet of white corm,
Badgers forage for food near their sett
renewing their bracken scented couchette.
Sparrow and robin pair off in twos
as lengthening days come into view.
aconite open in rays of sun
below yellow catkins with tails fine spun.
Osier shoots in green corn camomile
as early Spring mornings begin to smile.
Categories:
sett, nature, seasons,
Form:
Prose Poetry
inspired by contest nature theme
Beneath the undergrowth deep
Awakening from a winter sleep,
Hedgehogs stir in nocturnal nuzzle,
Uncurl their defensive puzzle;
Shrews,woodmice and voles
Quiver,and quickly desert their holes;
Badgers air the bracken couchette,
Forage for food around their sett;
Hustle,bustle in each earthly niche
To illustrate nature's pastiche
Midst hedgerows of yesteryear,
To preserve,protect and hold dear.
Categories:
sett, nature, seasons,
Form:
Pastoral
An Englishman lost in afternoon tea,
Memories of a lotus flower love
Rajas and elephants in Delhi
Livingstone the explorer
Religion to convert
Laurence of Arabia
A leader of men
The Boers and the Zulus
Gordon and Khartoum
These are the things that shook the world
Silk and Cotton,
The wealth of Empire
Earl Mountbatten our man in Burma
The cry of Bombay and Ceylon
Oblivious to a young man’s dream
England was the world
Her Empire was great
For the sun never did sett
On her wealth
The jewel in this noble crown
Yet History was not kind
Exploitation her crime
Though civilisation came hand in hand
For Freedom we planted
Democracy you chanted
The union jack you did burn
And what have you learned
Greed breeds poverty in silence
Sectarian dogma your anthem
Murder by the chosen few
How flourishes your tree
When your morals all flee
With bombs in the souk
And murder by troops
Education restricted
The poor evicted
To make way for corruption
And tyrants consumption
Look to the horizon
For there lies Britain
It's empire gone
But our pride lingers on
Can your freedom say the same?
Or is oil to blame?
Who shall we accuse?
For your freedoms abuse?
Not the British
Love us or hate us
England brought you civilisation
And civilisation lives on
In this green and pleasant land
Categories:
sett, patriotic, freedom,
Form:
Free verse
As the sun slowly sets beneath the horizon
the world starts to turn to night's darkness
the shadows gradually lengthen then fade
and a stillness covers the land with mystery
This is the time for the creatures of night
the badgers sniff the air before leaving their sett
then come tumbling out to play in moonlit glade
while the adults set of to do their foraging
The wise owls sit in tall trees their heads twisting
as they filter the sounds of small rustles and squeaks
then do, on silent wings glide and hit with deadly strike
carrying their offerings back to their hungry fledglings
The wolf sets off on his nightly quest hunting for prey
if the moon is full he will climb up high and sing to it
then just a grey shadow as through the undergrowth
he slips, then belly down as he creeps closer and kills
Now it is time for other less salubrious creatures
the ones that haunt our dreams and disturb our sleep
for unmentionable things to walk the night time trails
now is their time to catch an unwary soul who lingered
Secrets hidden in the dark a grave or two lie unmarked
a deadly silence now hangs and people scuttle home
tuck themselves up safe indoors to await the sun's return
the darkness fades and the sun once more comes out to play
Categories:
sett, dark, moon, night, sun,
Form:
Verse
A city on a set of hills and valleys
Rusty brown roofings a symphony
Of rhythms in colourful harmony
Ibadan a large city with a village sett.
A cauldron of the old and the new;
The
Present
And
The
Future
A fusion,
Ibadan,ilu to Dan
(The city that glitters)
A star on the West whose
Glare is on the decline.
Ibadan my beloved city
On a set of hills.
(Written on 21/06/2015
Categories:
sett, africa, character, education, environment,
Form:
Ballad
Beneath the undergrowth deep
Awakening from a winter sleep,
Hedgehogs stir in nocturnal nuzzle,
Uncurl their defensive puzzle;
Shrews,woodmice and voles
Quiver,and quickly desert their holes;
Badgers air the bracken couchette,
Forage for food around their sett;
Hustle,bustle in each earthly niche
To illustrate nature's pastiche
Midst hedgerows of yesteryear,
To preserve,protect and hold dear.
Categories:
sett, nature, seasons,
Form:
Pastoral
twitching noses
in tussocks
of awakened primroses
rummaging on hazel boles
hibernating mammals
poke from the holes
leafless hedgerows
where buds now form
a carpet of white corm
Badgers forage
for food near their sett
renewing
their bracken scented couchette
Sparrow and robin
pair off in twos
as lengthening days
come into view.
aconite open in rays of sun
below yellow catkins
with tails fine spun.
Osier shoots
in green corn camomile
as Spring mornings
begin to smile.
Categories:
sett, spring,
Form:
Pastoral
W I N T E R
B R E A K S
N A T U R E
A W A K E S
G A R D E N
A S L E E P
&
an oldie reposted
Fields flooded into skating rinks
into which each footstep sinks,
cracking under body weight so
not the best place to skate.
Thawing February of twitching noses
in tussocks of woken primroses.
Rummaging on hazel boles,hibernating mammals
poke from the holes.
Leafless hedgerows , buds now form
a carpet of white corm,
Badgers forage food near their sett
renewing the bracken scented couchette.
Nature pair off in twos
lengthening days come into view.
aconite open in rays of sun
below, yellow catkins tails fine spun.
Osier shoots in green corn camomile
early Spring mornings begin to smile.
Copyright © Brian Strand | Year Posted 2007
Categories:
sett, february, word play,
Form:
Shape
Habitation Swap quatrain.
At full moon wolves howl loudly
Obscured from view, so cloudy,
mist hovers over nearby lagoon
Wolves howl loudly at full moon,
Owls hunt with stealth unseen
Viewing prey with eyes so keen,
territory known, food for Health,
unseen owls hunt with stealth,
Badgers ascend from their sett,
we owe these animals a debt,
from bullets they can't defend
from their sett badgers ascend,
rabbits roam through the warren
Intricate routes never forgotten,
an underground loving home
through the warren rabbits roam,
Mice around undergrowth scuttled,
in woven balls their young huddle,
Corn fields their ideal paradise
around undergrowth scuttled mice,
Categories:
sett, animal, bird, identity, nature,
Form:
Quatrain
Tho join holly the sample is data
Diurnal, in cheek by jowl site
Intimacy is over deeds by, in bliss
Gloss your eyes of tender
Special in upon pulling out love
In sharp finding of a sett
Than winds not mussing yours hear
As mailing from the heart
Known than you’re sensed, a site
Where to chair of peace
Up bliss carry in your soul
Known than galloping for
Thy site own tho “by foresees ”
Endo vowed soul: in heaven
From the soil tho’ free swing!
Categories:
sett, devotion, faith, sympathy,
Form:
Lyric
I had a secret bound to let go
I was scared to tell so no one ahd to know
I was afraid everyone would consider me their foe
But the other day i was ready, and i let it go
Everyone Understood,except my mother
I thought she would understand like no other
I'm Glad people know the real me
Cuz the box is open and i am free
Who cares if i like both sexes
I won't recieve the death penalty and be sent to texas
Im a still go on and be able to but my lexus
My life is sett to be blocked along the wasy
Even if its mom, i'll stand tall and make it someday
But if she can't except me, many will
Cuz she taught this man how to take it cuz life is real
Categories:
sett, life, life,
Form:
it soon be the tree
candy youll see
drum bang
a hey hang
on the tree heavenly
only will sett face to face
by the
CHRISTMAS FIRE PLACE
Categories:
sett, places,
Form:
Light Verse
The cud I rechewed // in the riverside // was from a sett of dreadful hemlock // that struck the aquifers of my soul.
Blight glue my night // as mournful as the grave-in my streets // silence defeats me.
I weep formaldehyde // I would go mad —naked // struggling for precision.
Until I bite through the pages of poesy // that charges the sapless pulse in my arteries: hope has feathers and many more.
In those poems I chew away murderer's hand // lurking around my shadows & ravaging it beyond repair.
In a short while // I would calligraph about God // for crafting out poets // who are small "god" in his image // I envied // yet, I'm a poet.
Damn me if I ever doubt that poetry isn't a panacea for poets.
Categories:
sett, muse, mystery,
Form:
Free verse