For my joy this morning, I can’t do better than to relay some contemporaneous notes of our afternoon walk yesterday. Who knows, one day these notes may find their way into another poetic effort, perhaps less formal than the sonnet of my previous joy.
But for now I’ll go with the joy I have in hand, and wait for the two further birds to emerge from the poetics bush. Here’s our walk then:
Outbound: big camera, notepad, pen, keys locking the door the road ahead, pavement and swinging gate sudden shock! fit yoga person overtakes, three dogs in tow two deers bounce away through the marsh spikey gorse with yellow flowers chatting with dog walker; she strides off red branches strewn brook burbles along gorse seed pods! dried and empty moss-laden branches and beardy wisps flood detritus bare branches hazel strands curlicue seed pods of willow herb quaking aspen spots bearded sphagnum stagnant water broken tree sunlight and shadow blackberry leaves that are still green spart grass reminds me of home fresh rose leaves unfurling curled lily pad leaves in brown water ferns climbing amongst mossy trees tripping over roots empty truck bounces along a road far away duck squawks distant bird calls white village on a sunlit hill sunshine on the water mirror Inbound: dutchman’s breeches sky peeks through clouds distant cow bellows cold wind blows in our faces freezing fingers, splodgy biro last season’s angelica a dropped pretzel and a rusty tin empty whisky bottle vole holes in the sloping bank scrub trees encroaching on the holm bursting willow buds risers out of ancient limbs shoe prints in the drying mud upturned pipe beside the electric substation cawing crows arches of bramble the leaning gate I pushed aside before the water gate murmuring water and cracking crows stones to stumble over in the path the bridge we hope to use, someday soon a discarded Red Bull can rhododendron congregation the storm sewer sampling point abandoned deflated green football Raw Energy green and pink can concrete path on to the road last year’s buddleia flowers fat balls disappearing crocus blossom a blast of warm air from our fire cat stretched out in front meow
Roads to Joy 
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