The storm raged
Thunder roared
And lightning flashed
As rain fell
unrestrained
From leaden skies
Like liquid knives
Dropping into the
sodden land
Night came early
Beneath the slate grey
Until a tear in the
fabric
Of the unremitting
deluge
A perfect patch of
blue
Showing through the heavy
sky
Brought tranquillity
With a glimpse of
heaven
Through the darkness
A beam of heavens
light
Shone down upon the
land
A beacon from above
To let us know
We are not forsaken
The familiar forked tail
And crescent wing
Of the agile Swift in
sky
Performing aerobatics
Above the fields of
gold
So pleasing to the eye
Long tailed Linnet
Sweet flying Finch
Trill and twitter
Your pleasant song
All Summer long
Kingfisher, Kingfisher
A glint of silver
Catches your eye
And like an arrow
You dart with purpose
Beneath the water
With barely a splash
Disappearing for a
moment
Before returning
With the silver prize
Smooth soft stones
Picked from the beach
Rounded and smooth
To the touch
Opened a floodgate
In my mind
As distant memories
Rushed in
Of a different time
and place
A simpler time
And way of life
When hours could be
spent
In the innocent
pursuit
In the summer forest
I stared into the
silent waters
Of the mirrored pool
It was a place spoken
oft in lore
An eerie haunted place
The stillest place I’d
known
To stand too long
Appreciating its
tranquillity
Could cost you your soul
There were no fish
To break the surface
No insect ventured
near
Bird song fell silent at
its edge
And no creature
quenched its thirst
No one knew if its
waters were deep
Or merely murky
shallows
It was not an inviting
place
But if you stared too
long
Into its mesmeric shadows
You would not tell the tale
The air was sultry and stale
The heat oppressive
I sought the sanctity
of the shade
Embracing its coolness
I walked beneath the
leafy canopy
Where the silence welcomed
Contented I walked
In the leafy summer
forest
Until within a glade
I came upon a woodland pool
Its still dark waters
Looking glass flat.
I peered through my
own reflection
Into the charismatic
depths
And felt unnervingly
as if
I was staring into the
depths
Of my own soul
And for the first time
On that sultry summers
afternoon
My skin felt cold
