thirdly …

Here let the old poor stay
Until their day is done.
Here, where the yew tree broods
And the squirrels play,
Here let the old poor pray.,
And say good-bye to the sun.

© Justin Gosling

Last week we held our monthly Abingdon share a poem group. I now have three more Abingdon poems to put forward towards the Ten poems about Abingdon book. I hope to get about 30 poems from which somebody, as yet unknown,  can choose 10. Here is the first. It was written using the voice of a house. It is interesting in poems to become an object or animal and use its voice …

Joymount

For years now I have sat here
Gazing at the garden,
Watching it grow, and growing too, more slowly,
Feeling my timbers harden.

Once, younger and smaller,
I looked over fields,
Glimpsed St Helen’s spire and the outskirts of Abingdon,
Listened for the church peels.

Back from the road
And out of public view,
Snug in our orchards and meadows,
We Northcourt houses were few.

Now the trees have grown
That they planted long ago,
Cutting the view of those passing in the road –
How quickly they grow.

And now, clean on their straight walls
There are young roofs all round,
No wisdom in them, no bending to fit the years,
Crowding my ground.

They have driven off the squirrels
That played once in my trees,
Have turned us old ones into town houses
Yearning for a country breeze:

Just a handful now, The Old House,
The Farmhouse, cottages and pub,
The young one, posh behind its red wall
Yet still we form the hub;

And round us the old hamlet
Can still, though only just, be seen:
Some old walls, lichened roofs, uncertain chimneys,
Some trees and grass between;

But Abingdon has reached out,
Snatching our open spaces,
Squeezing the hamlet, deafening our ears,
Removing its grace.

And I am left, enclosed, to enfold my humans,
Their bickering and laughter,
And feel the thump of their feet
Tickle my beams and rafters.

As ever, I keep them warm
Till their time is done,
And guard them like a hen on her clutch,
Winking at the sun.

© Justin Gosling

(This is another possible poem for the proposed book – Ten Poems about Abingdon – to be published in October 2021.)

We will make a weather book with snow on the front,
frost and rain inside, sunshine on the back.
We will make a cotton wool and toilet roll snowman,
Sing Incy Wincy Spider in January.

We will make toilet roll birds with flappy wings.
Teddy bears’ pancake day, Biscuits with sprinkles.
NO CRAFT on the day that it snows.
Sing the wheels on the bus in February.

We will make paper cup faces with cress hair,
Mothering Sunday cards with doilies and daffs,
yoghurt pots with chickens and straws.
Sing two little birds in March.

We will make paper blossom on branches with eggs,
Easter Cards with fluffy chicks,
a house and garden from catalogue cut-outs.
Sing Hickory Dickory Dock in April

We will make butterflies out of all-coloured scraps,
rainbow streamers for ABINGDON ALIVE,
smiley face plates saying LETS BE FRIENDS.
Sing What a friend we have in May.

We will make round and round the garden on a plate
with Teddy Bears on split pins,
fishes from gold and silver milk bottle tops.
Sing two little rabbits in June.

We will make a clock face with moving hands,
sandcastle, spade, bucket, boat with sails.
At Teatime Praise on the lawn
sing the wise man built his house in July

We will make Mr Men shapes: round – happy, noisy, and clever;
oval – nosey and bumpy; square – strong and grumpy.
We will put felt vegetables in a basket for harvest.
Sing Old McDonald had a farm in September.

We will make roundabouts with horses on card,
squirrels with a big pile of nuts in October.
We will make a night sky – black paper, shiny stars,
fireworks and rockets that whoosh in November.

We will make a doily angel and baby Jesus
and Mary and Joseph from playdough.
Everybody will have a part this year.
Sing The Calypso Carol in December.

Leigh has sent in this poem about Abingdon for the 10 poems about Abingdon blog project. Thankyou to her. I hope you enjoy it as I did.

On St Helen’s wharf I stand
To watch the water flow
Reflecting lives lived long ago
Closing my eyes, I feel the sun grown strong within my soul
I sense the strength of the church behind me

Across the water, a monk catches my eye
His cassock filled with holy treasure
Hours spent in scripture and pleasure
Like a kingfisher he weaves through the reeds
Flashes of crimson on a somber breeze

Make haste, the King’s men come tomorrow
We must not let the Abbey fall
We cannot let them have this all
We must listen to Our Father’s calls
And he is gone, I fear not long destined to be in his earthly world

Now here are the boats, the Thames is alive
A clamor of passengers and cargo arrives
The drinking begins, there are merry goings on
A large group of locals break into song
The smell of Morland ale overwhelmingly strong

A young boy approaches
Little blond curls, a laughing face
A familiar imprint in an unfamiliar place
Twirling his wool cap, he is clearly enjoying the day
He looks at me from years away

I bend down to speak, what is this jubilee?
He looks at me, wide eyed, I must know!
It is Michaelmas Fair
Sweet treats and games, not Latin and prayer
He skips away floating on cobbles of air

Change has come, bitterly cold
The square filled young and old
Soldiers parading
A whole town commemorating
Falling silent for those lost before today

Prayers for our men
They bow their heads and line the Thames
A war to end all wars they said then
Yet the bells tolls not once, but twice
Amen

And finally I hear
Morris men approaching near
With bells and music and Oxfordshire cheer
A whole town celebrating, salivating
Whilst buns burst down from the sky

An apricot sun sets deep over Rye Farm
Painting brushstrokes across the sky with its arm
I bid a farewell to those who have passed
And I turn to wander home
Restful at last

For this is where I hold my own memories near
And cherish those I love most dear
Where a part of me will forever be
Woven with ghosts of whispered history
Abingdon

Leigh Hogan – All Rights Reserved 2021

P.S Blogging may be a bit patchy in May as I am coming and going a lot for family reasons. So please send in what you can to help fill out the month.