Category: Wildlife

The Seed

On By jovisgoesIn Competition, heroes, Nature, Poetry, Seasons, WildlifeLeave a comment

seed_edited

In the boiler-room of life powerful energy is forcing new growth
As a very small shoot pushes its way out of a small seed’s husk
And as if by some magical force it is drawn upwards towards the light
Picking its way through the soil and between the stones that lie
Betwixt its chance of seeing the sun or falling by the way.

Slowly and surely it climbs up to the as yet unknown surface
Struggling in its weakness yet fighting in its single aim
To break through and reach out for the warmth of the sun,
Its fleshy stem hardening as it grows ever taller in its reach
To the sky and its second-year show of bright flowers.

The days march on and soon it develops large broad leaves
Which gather the rains that feed it life right to its roots
From which its energy comes with a force as great as any
In the universe…it is life, it is beauty, it is magical
Till finally it pushes the beginnings of its flowers out.

For all the world to see the majesty that is the purpose
Of its existence in this meadow of life and death, for now
The creatures come to feast on its sweet nectar and they
Will carry its pollen far and wide ensuring that new life will
Always be assured and that the circle of life is complete.

 

©Joe Wilson – The Seed 2014

A Village

On By jovisgoesIn Nature, Personal, Poetry, Point of View, Village Life, WildlifeLeave a comment
The Local Pub
The Local Pub

The Victoria plum-tree that we planted this year
Is now full of blossom that looks lovely from here
The creamy white flowers and the brightest green leaves
Makes beautiful colour as Springtime relieves.

The garden of Winter, this year so wet
Does blossom herald a ‘best Summer yet.’

It’s quite true of course that village life so snug
Can have a tendency to make one feel smug
But for years our’s has struggled, it now has no shops
And a pub that’s near closure though it still sells the ‘hops.’

We don’t take it lightly the community here
For we know we could lose it which would cost us all dear.

It’s not really the money though the costs would be great
But there’d be no Village Hall and no Summer Fete
No chats with our friends over stiles by the field
Nor any more eggs from the local chicks yield.

We don’t take it lightly the community here
And we will fight to keep it which will cost us all dear.

 

©Joe Wilson – A Village 2014

1914 – We call It Wipers

On By jovisgoesIn heroes, Illness, Poetry, political, War, WildlifeLeave a comment

ypres field guns 1914

Mud goes so stiff as it dries on the clothes
And it gets in the rifles and ammo
And men live in the mud for day after day
And they die there as the death tolls just grow.

The lads call it Wipers, but we know it’s called Ypres
And we don’t know the language but know mud
And the massive field guns that are firing this way
Causing lots of men to stay here for good.

In two months I’ve not heard the sound of a bird
With the fighting and dying you don’t listen
But I saw a dead blackbird lying out in the mud
And memories of home made my eyes glisten.

I’d rather be back at my home on the farm
Tending cattle and working the land
But I’m lying here shooting at men I don’t know
In a hard bloody war that I don’t understand.

We’ll soon be coming to the end of this year
We were told that it wouldn’t last too long
I don’t know how much longer the men can last out
The spirits willing but their bodies aren’t strong.

We’ve been pounded for hours, we’ve been pounded for days
It seems like so long and it’s so cold
There are men who’ve got frostbite and gangrene and sores
But it’s the dysentery that makes some men fold.

When will it end and who will make peace
They’re decisions that aren’t made at the front
But by men back at home who think they know best
Not by poor dying men bearing the brunt.

©JRW2014

One in a group of poems I wrote recognising the centenary of the outbreak of World War I

Seasons

On By jovisgoesIn Nature, Poetry, Seasons, Story Book, verdant, WildlifeLeave a comment

The sun’s shining now, Spring has finally arrived
Through the wettest of Winters, we’ve mainly survived
But the land is still soaked as the year gallops along
Yet daffodils are dancing to their own silent song.

Truly, Nature has a way of putting things right
We can hope that she’ll help in the wet farmland plight
As we look forward to Summer and its brilliant hue
We’ll be out in the garden, there’ll be lots there to do.

It’s the Autumn and the leaves are looking tired
The greens turn to red as if they’re kiln-dried
Then they all start to fall, fall to the earth
Squirrels gather nuts for all that they’re worth.

And now comes the cold time, Winter will call
We look up to the sky and hope snow will now fall
For we don’t need a season, again filled with rain
Defence against flooding being put up again.

But for now the sun’s out, let’s see where we go
There are lots of new green shoots starting to show
If they grow really well and we get a good harvest
We’ll know that Nature can’t be second guessed.

©JRW2014

A River

On By jovisgoesIn Nature, Poetry, Story Book, Trains, Uncategorized, WildlifeLeave a comment

It starts with a trickle way up in a hill
Just a small drop little more than a rill
It seeks out the gulleys and cracks in the ground
And begins its long journey all the way down.

There is a short distance where it goes underground
And listening quite closely one can hear the sound
Of the loud rushing sound as one stream joins another
It’s much larger now as it bursts from its cover.

Down it keeps tumbling still fairly small
Till it drops from a cliff in a long waterfall
Where it now joins a much bigger stream and together
They race for the sea as they go hell for leather.

After a few miles the pace slows right down
As the river encircles the outskirts of town
There are men dipping fishing rods hoping for bounty
That flows with this river, the pride of the county.

Miles further on the river seems to stop
There’s a very sharp bend and a deep hillside drop
But after the bend it gets off on its way
Nothing else holds up its progress today.

Other streams will join it as it quickens its pace
Smaller rivers too will join in the race
The mighty thing grows as it travels along
Sometimes it sounds like it’s singing a song.

There’s a very high bridge that carries the trains
That travel along on the networks veins
It has several arches that lift the bridge high
And the river flows through them as it passes on by.

A family of swans with their heads all held high
Their necks long and slender reach up to the sky
They swim along gaily and some ducks join them too
But they stop sometime later as there’s nesting to do.

There’s a place miles along where it goes through the sky
Borne on an aquaduct that creaks with a sigh
Where underneath lorries carry freight to the ports
Vying for space with cars and vans of all sorts.

Many more bridges will it pass on its way
And more roads will cross it in every which way
Till finally the river arrives at the coast
Suddenly small by a much greater host.

In the estuary the river meets up with the sea
When the weather is stormy they crash forcefully
And back in the hills many miles far away
A small drop of water starts the journey again.

©JRW2014

On Sodden Fields

On By jovisgoesIn Nature, Poetry, Point of View, political, Seasons, Story Book, WildlifeLeave a comment

The rains seem to have finally subsided
At least it seems so for now
Mopping up the sodden devastation
Amid many an insurance row.

Some now say that dredging will not work
But surely history proves that it’s right
Though never a complete solution
At least it reduces the plight.

But politics now comes into play
It’s crucial to be seen in the right
So decisions that were taken only yesterday
Can so easily be changed overnight.

Climate change is with us for good now
It’s become part of our way of life
And solid steps will need to be taken
To end frequent bad weather strife.

But Chancellor’s have always cut budgets
And none have done more so than this
In fact in all of the service programmes
People see themselves staring into the abyss.

It’s all about how they look to the voters
For we carry their careers in our cross
For otherwise I think most politicians
About the plebiscite just wouldn’t give a toss.

We have wards now closing down in our hospitals
There are schools that are never repaired
A benefit system, though flawed, is besieged
Yet the rich tax avoiders still get spared.

So the land, like these other things will lose out
The efforts will cease as will the rain
Till the next time that the heavens all open
And ordinary folk again feel the pain.

There are houses that are ruined forever
Some insurers refusing the bill
Flood defenses that seem barely adequate
Properties from before empty still.

On sodden fields where houses keep rising
And new concrete covers over flood plains
Where tenants often get such poor insurance
And the country just never sees the gain.

But it’s the ‘I’m alright Jack’ way of the politicos
Who mostly live in their ivory towers
They’re the ones who aren’t making decisions
Yet the ones wielding all of the powers.

So the’cross’ is our one powerful weapon
It’s the most powerful thing in the land
We should all make so sure that we use it
And make all of these fools understand.

 

©JRW2014

The Hunter

On By jovisgoesIn Nature, Poetry, Story Book, WildlifeLeave a comment

With a languidness the great bird lifted itself off the branch,
It was much older now but it still had a mate and young chicks to feed.
From the hide across the hill the hunter could hear the steady beat
of those great powerful wings, slowly pounding out their regular note.
He watched, fascinated by the beautiful golden colours that gave the bird its name
as the great creature soared off up into the air, to begin its slow steady scout for food.

Now that the eagle was aloft you could almost hear a pin drop, save for the odd sound
of running water slowly trickling down the hillside into the burn far below.
The hunter had quietly settled in this spot some four hours ago before dawn,
he was comfortable and had set his rangefinder on the eerie right from the start.
Now he just had to wait, but patience was one thing that he had in spades.
His skills as a sniper had been fully tested in foreign lands some years before.

Too many of the enemy had appeared in the cross-hairs of his rifle sights
and when they had they’d never reached the end of that day, he was that good.
That had been the problem, being that good you get called on more until…
He swore he would never again pick up a rifle containing live ammunition,
so here he was preparing for the perfect shot with his sniper rifle,
waiting to put a tranquiliser dart into this majestic golden eagle above, to protect him.

He never expected that this work would be so fulfilling, but here in the hills
He found job satisfaction and this work was certainly worthwhile, and no one died.
The eagle had spotted something for he was starting to rise and tilt his wings.
The hunter had watched him for days and had become very familiar with his method.
He would circle to come in from behind of course, but this canny chap had a trick,
he would come in so low he was never really in the prey’s field of vision long enough.

There was the prey, a rabbit who wasn’t too alarmed yet, but that would soon change…
and there he goes, darting about in a zigzag trying to throw the monster off his trail
with the hunter watching the eagle down, and as he lined up to swoop at the rabbit
at almost a hundred miles an hour, the hunter fired and the great bird fell to the ground.
He fired at the point where the eagle was closest to the ground, not wanting to hurt him.
The rabbit lived and the hunter packed away his rifle and walked back down the hill.

Others would do the tagging and the hunter would wait for his next call……

©JRW2014

To a Carp…

On By jovisgoesIn Fun, Life, Nature, Poetry, WildlifeLeave a comment

carp

Cyprinus Carpio swim you round
Powerful strokes, nary a sound
E’er so watchful, elegant thing
As lions to jungles, in pools you’re king.

Noble fish you swiftly go
In silence through the water’s flow
And though I’ll catch you one fine day
I’ll put you back, you’ll swim away.

 

©Joe Wilson – To a Carp…2014