North East Midsummer
A poem written on the suggested theme of Natural Light
The time between sunset and sunriseA valley full of mistThe type that lingers low, And you above it by the side of the road Just away from the roadGazing at the beauty The serenity of the world at peaceAt that singular moment of timeThe sun, barely warming the airBut the promise is thereA promise of a river to be seen, Some greenery to dry out A lorry, delivering stock to TescoGoes by, shattering the silence.But just for one moment,One distracting and annoying momentThen, as quick as it appeared, it’s gone.A lone heron passes nearby,The sky stillStill and waiting for more avian creatures to fill it. The tops of trees poking through the moisture Unsure as yet, whether it is time to begin the dayThat uncertain period In this part of the world, when darkness barely reachesBarely breaches the fields and beachesWhere, if you stand on the shoreArms outstretched You can almost measure the sun going down at your left handThen, a short time later, after following the glow along the North Sea horizon,You can see it rise by your right. But wait, back by the roadside , The silence continuesMore birds stirSome rabbits scamper in the field In the other side of the field where they pay no attentionTo you. To you and your silenceThe mist still persists, not willing to give up its placeIt’s place, where nature controls And souls enjoy this timely silence Another truck, and a car or twoGoing where they have to goThen Then just the natural order of life and beasts. A bee, getting the pollen before other beesThe buzzing sounding like an air horn in the quietnessThe absolute quiescence of the here and nowThis light is changing now,Less sereneLess softThe sun is forcing its warmthBut you still feel the chillYou lie there, on the wet grass, by the the tracks you leftYour vehicle not far awayThe grey low clouds disappearing Faster nowBut still taciturn around youSurrounds youAs the day gets brighterYour weight seems lighter Your mood uncaringSharing your thoughts with the insects The insects crawlingCrawling Not stalling as they alight on youMore noiseMore cars, they stop,They look at the scenic viewAnd you, just out of sightYou try It’s getting colder nowAnd darkerAnd damperLights flashAnd the silence now shattered A sirenTwoToo late You stop thinkingMovingYour car upside down yards from youGlass shattered, Some entangled in your hairYou care notYou care for noughtNo thoughts leftYour eyes stare aimlessly A fly lands on oneYou don’t blinkYou don’t moveYou don’t thinkThe ambulance menScramble Scramble down the bankThe dankness not hinderingNo lingering for them They reach the stillness that is youToo late Your natural light has gone out.