Name

Solitary, after all, were the gardener,
But for the accompaniment of words.

Is this my matutinal seclusion
Sights, sounds, and scents all, all agree to please.
Comely the smile of all well mannered subjects,
Goodly the smell of wholesome up-turned soil.
Lovely above all is this silence –
But the silence is vibrant with words.

They murmur in the distance like bees,
They whisper in the rustle of trees,
Then springs one, instant to be heard,
Sings on my should like a bird.

 

 

Ursula Bethell
from Garden in the Antipodes, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1929

Poetry Shelf is going on holiday for two weeks; time to replant, reseed, to daydream. Keep safe, keep well, savour the delights of poetry. See you all soon.

Love
Paula