Castle Hill

As the sun touched my back to start its day, so it brought light to the valley below.
Valley floor covered in a patchwork of fields, each telling the story of a summer just passed.
Bales of hay in neat little squares stand in neat rows,
where once the sound of combine harvesters filled the valley below.
Too far to hear the sound of an engine hard at work,
but tractor seen ploughing field of gold where corn once stood and swayed like waves on the sea.
Now the wind carries the sound of birds as they swoop down,
to find the food the plough brings into view.
As the tractor turns plough is lifted from the earth,
and sun light on blades flash across the valley.
Cattle and sheep graze in patchwork fields of green,
and seem to stop and stare as car rushes past on narrow twisting roads,
as if to say. What is the rush?

Like a lovers' embrace trees partly hide and hold the broken Castle,
as it sits by slow gentle waters.
Church walls stand broken against broken Castle walls,
Was church built to defend the Castle, or Castle built to defend the church?
Now those who died to defend them lay forgotten in the ground.
Once they gave life to a Castle, now they give life to the land.
One day the trees will cover why they died, and none will see broken Castle walls.

River slow and gentle wonders past Castle and church, the sea is now not far.
No rush now to join the sea, a time to gentle drift through a valley of patchwork fields.

Hill that once kept the cold sea wind from the valley,
now carries the scars of man cut deep into its sides.
Is that why the Castle once stood in this place. To defend the thing man did seek?
The hill as broken as the Castle shows the scars of man seeking wealth no matter the cost.
To destroy the wealth of the land for wealth in the pocket.
Has man not learnt that you cannot gain wealth,
when you destroy the thing that cannot be replaced?

Now the valley and far hills I must cross to journey on.
Will this valley know I stopped to stare?
I leave no mark on the land none will know I crossed this quiet valley.

So let it be so.

Let the valley not know I crossed today.
Just let my heart and spirit know. I crossed a quiet valley today.

Silver Robe

Back to Poetry Index

¦ Home ¦ Contents ¦ Words of Wisdom ¦ Links ¦ Books ¦ Chakras ¦ Inspired Writing ¦ Poetry ¦

¦ Glossary ¦ Church ¦ Timeline ¦ Death of a Pet ¦ Quiet Corner ¦ Death of a Child ¦

¦ Memorial Page ¦ Healing ¦ Open Forum ¦