Over the Edge Black gritstone Laithe barn facing the watery late afternoon sun Echoes to the clatter of bovine hooves on shiny dung slicked cobbles Milking complete, the plod to grazing fields underway accompanied by buzzing flies Tails flicking, heads shaking, the small herd spreads though the running grass each cow finding space The field edge drops away into the steep wooded valley patched by bluebells Water running over gritstone boulders the new soundtrack to the journey Crossing the stepping stones we spot a Dipper flashing a white bib cutting into the stream A bubbling zip marks his passage through the golden peaty water Entering the abandoned hamlet, ruined buildings with broken windows like sad eyes watching Ghost voices and sounds carried on the wuthering wind into the tall trees Gaining the upper slope passing pine needles humped into formic domes by resident wood ants Patches of blue turned pink by acid in the secret life of a woodland floor laid bare Overhead raucous Jays call territorially from the fresh green canopy A Fox barks sharply in the distance sensing our presence Owls shuffle in rest trees waiting for the twilight hunt to start Deer unseen by us skitter and disperse at the new sounds of our passage Badger sniffs at the sett exit and listens, waiting for the safety of the approaching darkness We gain the next edge and the welcome packhorse track leaving the crags to themselves
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 18:37:19 +0000
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