Two Poems


a dove cote
holes in the house wall
doves fly into bedrooms
settle on a bed
peck at the air they own
find grain

 

 

They came to a valley hidden in the belly of a fat full-uddered cow. Day forgotten the fields over-ridden by weeds deserters of a smoky city driven by love of wheat its solid gold kernels. Came to a valley hidden in the cow’s full belly from which bidden over hills an oil fuelled row. The day forgotten the fields over-ridden their neighbours in this valley they find misshapen want tractors replaced by horse and plough. A valley hidden built themselves new lives on a stone age midden this valley all ours an unspoken vow. Cow’s bladder echo in my ears watch sullen from an oak tree bough how they came over-ridden to day’s forgotten fields.

 

Copyright © David Berridge, 2005.

David Berridge lives in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. Recent poems and sequences can be found in Fire, Island, Noon and online at Word For/Word and Fascicle. He writes reviews for Verse and his ongoing exploration of connections between ecology, natural history and poetry takes various forms including talks, workshops, field trips, and readings.