EARTH
Kenneth White on the work of John Hudson
"Its economy is striking, vivid images conjured up in just a few words; the commonplace in counterpoint to the uncommon; well-worn figures of speech shining with new meaning; the profound rubbing up against the everyday and, in the process, teasing out unconsidered layers of meaning."
13 SOULS IN SEARCH OF A LIGHT SWITCH
The Venerable Bede's Sparrow
And so I came and went
and in that brief flight
gave birth to legend,
a simple metaphor
that carried no meaning for me
but bore weight, it seems,
for the vulnerable Bede.
It was instinct, I headed for light,
got a fright.
Raucous laughter, stench of ale
and flaming faggots
winged me through the nearest window.
Fluttering to a branch,
I waited till dawn, chilly but cheerful.
I never liked foraging around humans
but was on the lookout,
as cheeky sparrows are,
for a crumb, a warm cornice
and by chance gave generations
a tale to lighten the otherwise Dark Ages.
I didn't last the winter -
froze on a branch slowly at sunset:
not so short as to be a painless life,
not bitter either.
I had my passions
and the wonder of starlit nights.
But it's skin off my beak
that the vulnerable Bede,
kiss his cotton habit,
wins history's and heaven's credit
as I roost and chatter in damned privet,
dodge his venerable sparrowhawk,
here, till kingdom come.
Prize winning poem in the Segora Poetry Competition 2012
SHED

GARDEN OF LOVE

THE PUMPKIN LANTERN

STAR WOOD STONE
