Details |
Free verse
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Ludwig Leichart
This perplexing country,
(such an under statement),
where rivers run upside down,
marbles are strewn by the Devil
and Songlines
etched in memory are
sung by those few who know.
Seeking Victoria,
the blazed trees could not help,
the Prussian collapsed, looking at the blue.
Initialled stunted trees showed the way,
signposts to oblivion,
while the heat,
always the heat,
in a furnace of shadeless infinity
dessicates his body.
What use the blaze?
He cannot walk or crawl,
only a palanquin borne by flies,
Oh the flies,
will carry him there
until their wings melt.
He came from the south
humming tunes from a Baroque choir
to reach the Arafura sea,
where Cornish stone -masons build chimneys
to ward of the chill (sarcastic laugh).
and a Tamarind tree guards the entrance.
The red coated soldiers have left
And he, Ludwig had vanished.
A fanfare blasts, .
Is that an angel holding Brown’s hand
up there on top of a nunatak of the desert,
the quavers and semi-quavers merging
in an anthem of despair?
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Details |
Ode
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Dawn's Embrace:
Adret: Dawn paints the face of giants,
Where sunlight warms and shadows dance.
Aiguille: Fingers pierce the azure sky,
A challenge whispered, sharp and high.
Earth's Whispers:
Dome: Molten heart, now cold and grand,
A silent testament to time's command.
Escarpment: Sheer cliffs, a warrior's stance,
Where wind whispers tales of ancient trance.
Folded Mountain: Earth's wrinkled skin, a story told,
Of pressure, time, and secrets bold.
Glacial Erratic: A stranger's stone, a journey's mark,
Whispers of ice, in the silent dark.
Resilience and Strength:
Hogback: Jagged spine, a dragon's rest,
Where wind finds voice, and eagles test.
Inselberg: Lone sentinel, a weathered crown,
Standing proud, where empires drowned.
Krumholz: Twisted trees, a silent cry,
Of life's resilience, reaching high.
Massif: A fortress carved by time's hand,
A kingdom vast, where giants stand.
Monadnock: Unyielding rock, a timeless friend,
Through storms, it stands, till journeys end.
Nunatak: An island peak, where ice holds sway,
A silent witness to the passing day.
Mountains Speak:
Oread: Whispers of the mountain's soul,
In windswept cries, stories unfold.
Orography: The map of giants, etched in stone,
A language whispered, all alone.
Summit and Beyond:
Pinnacle: Where heaven meets, and dreams take flight,
A touch of stars, in fading light.
Plateau: A table high, where clouds convene,
A breathless pause, a world unseen.
Nature's Dynamics:
Alpenglow: A blush of rose, on the snowy crest,
A fleeting kiss, before the west.
Alpine: A world above, where air is thin,
And life finds strength, where few have been.
Avalanche: A thunderous roar, a white cascade,
A reminder raw, of nature's blade.
Banner Cloud: A ghostly flag, on wind's command,
A silent sign, in mountain land.
Hidden Depths and New Beginnings:
Cirque: A cradle carved, by glacial might,
Where secrets sleep, in the moonlit night.
Col: A passage, where paths divide,
And new adventures, gently hide.
Cordillera: A dragon's spine, across the land,
A chain of giants, hand in hand.
Caution and Reflection:
Cornice: A fragile ledge, where danger sleeps,
A whisper warns, where silence keeps.
Crag: A weathered face, etched with time,
A canvas is vast, for stories sublime.
Guiding Hope:
Cairn: A guiding hand, on a lonely trail,
A silent hope, that won't ever fail.
The Mountain's Symphony:
From Adret's warmth to glacial chill,
Each mountain tells a story still.
A symphony of rock and sky,
Where dreams take flight, and spirits fly.
The Call to Climb:
So let us climb, with hearts alight,
And seek the wisdom, in their height.
For in the mountains, we find our soul,
A timeless echo, that makes us whole.
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