Autumn is at hand, the twilight broils with black clouds overhead,
Winds are blowing, strong trees wavering,
Their branches, arms stretched,
Grasping at summer’s strands.
The mirror of the lake all scratched with white peaks
While colours clash across the land, swaying gold with emerald green,
Browning heather with pastures still ripe
Below mountains turned black by blankets full of rain.
Flowers fade as people moan of how Winter’s chill’s a-coming,
Darker days and bleaker nights, expensive heating and thick woollen wear,
While outside the cycle goes on regardless until sunlight dies.
Streams from the sky parade the ground in continuous lines of spitting droplets,
They distort the mountains, warping their outlines
Covering the landscape in a blurry sheen,
Until all vanishes but immediate horizons
Caught up in a wave of moisture and force.
This ground altering mist darkens the surface
Of a once solid land now slippery and sullen.
When all has stopped it is as before:
A bog covered land flanked by fortresses of height,
Deep-gullied ridges abound in waterfalls,
Torrential remnants of a vapour fuelled source.
Few of the modern world will see this with awe
And gaze at he sky in wonderment giving thanks,
Living under nature and attributing it to gods
Prehistoric people made monuments in honour,
Dependent on seasons as some aren’t today
They lived off the land as most tribesmen would,
Knowing their place, never questioning or destroying
The delicate balance between themselves and the Earth.
Now times have changed,
Many millions live well
Chained up in their castles of leisure, wealth and debt.
They bleed the world dry but never seem to stop
To take in the magic that was once adored.
If wishing to be close to the truth of one’s roots
Material life must not be central,
Open your mind, try to think back through time
Yes, you’ve got to go forward,
But why not slow down
To look at the tapestry
Which cars pass right through
Of tall trees and fields of green, yellow, orange.
Go out for a walk,
Take delight in skies clear
And picture in the mind
Lands our forefathers knew.
© 20/12/1995
