SPRING SONNET

Now, as holy Spring does just that, right here
To rise and bring in the heathen new year,
Conservatory doors swing wide open -
So mow the grass as the leaves glow greener
And buds grow and brighten; hearts now lighten
And float on the warmer breeze cradling bees
And seashells hung high above bluebells chime:
Now, now, now, they ring out, now is the time!
There in our garden lair, we now retrieve
From their webbed slumber deep in the lumber
Of the musty, cool and dusty toolshed,
Alfresco table and chairs; find lanterns
With wine and music past later sunsets,
We agree: this is as good as it gets.


(2008)


Our garden isn't very big but it is secluded and south-facing. The front of the house is very dark for most of the day and consequently we spend a lot of time in the conservatory watching the seasons change. This poem is the first in a sequence of four sonnets about the seasons.

I think it's true that people tend to notice the natural world much more as they grow older. It's certainly the case for me and Spring, in particular, with its annual transformation, both imperceptible and sudden, never fails to inspire.

This Is Me

I took most of the pictures that accompany my poems. If the picture quality is a bit iffy in some of them, it's because sometimes they are photos of photos. It took me ages to find a half-way decent one of me to go in this introduction. The one here was taken in Lanzarote a few years ago.

Introducing the blog:-

Hello Out There,


What I intend to do here is create a catalogue of my poetry by instalments. I shall post a single poem on a weekly basis along with a short passage of prose which will add context and perhaps a little backstory where appropriate (there won't, however, be any explanation of the poems which will hopefully be able to stand for themselves). Where possible, I will also include photographs - largely ones I've taken myself.

The poems will not appear in a chronological order although I might - if I remember - pay some attention to topicality, anniversaries and seasons atc. The first one, for instance, will be 'Spring Sonnet'.

It would be nice to acquire a readership via this blog and I hope people will find it an enjoyable experience and feel free to respond. I'm aware that there is an element of vanity in this project but if I were a songwriter I would want people to hear my songs and if I were a painter I would want people to see my pictures. So, if this blog seems like something of an ego trip, then so be it.

Here we go, then...

(All photography, poetry and prose published in this on-going blog Copyright C. 200X by I.G. Roberts).