September 7th

 

tandem ploughs drag lines

cut and fold the fertile muck

slowly turn return

June 30th

disturbed earth adorned

sun wilted wind flown petals

crooked cross whispers

March 21st

Green shoots dusty ground

Tattered black banners flutter

Scarecrows’ grave markers

 

I went for a run today, completed 5 miles, instead of my usual 3.5 so I was pleased with myself. To fill out the distance I took in Centenary Wood as well as the Moors. There is a public footpath through a field to get to the Wood. As the farmer had recently ploughed it, there was no discernable footpath so to speak, but I could see the path marker diagonally opposite the field boundary, so I had to pick through the big bumpy clumps of earth, rolling my ankles and knees in the process to get back on the path. Was quite energy sapping but I avoided injury.

Anyway, the field itself was dry and dusty, but there was something growing in it, little green grass like crops were poking through. It was obvious it was a crop as the farmer had installed these wooden waist high frames with pieces of black sackcloth flapping in them, to scare the birds.

I just imagined these were graves markers for scarecrows who’d been forcibly retired, trussed up with rope, unstuffed of their straw, burnt and their scraps buried. At night they’ll crawl out of the earth and kill us all. Just thought you should know.