The flight of a crane

The flight of a crane
Over still misty canals
Reminds me of Keukenhof
And walking with you.

For Judy
North Holland
23 May 1978

In Dedham Vale

By Stour’s waters, on a day
Of summer mists and sunlight pale,
I saw the tower of Dedham Church
And heard its bell across the Vale.

Yet time stood still for angels passed
In golden cohorts overhead,
And, like the play of light on hills,
The glory of their presence spread.

My blest companions drank with me
The silence of that mystic hour,
And, by their passing, stirred for me
The healing waters of the Stour.

April 1990

Posted on 30 August 2013 by Smith.je

I’ve gathered all the windfalls
And made a roadside stall,
I’ve put them in a little box
Upon the garden wall.

I hope somebody buys them,
They’re very good, you see,
They’re good for apple crumble
Or bramble jam for tea.

I’ve washed and dried the apples
And polished every one,
If you pass by you’ll see them
All shining in the sun.

I think somebody’s stopping
Beside my roadside stall,
I hope they like my apples
And maybe buy them all.

For Lucy