Tony Grist (poliphilo) wrote,
Tony Grist
poliphilo

Arbor Low

My friend veronica_milvus just posted an excellent poem about Arbor Low- the Derbyshire henge. It prompted me to dig out my effort- written nearly 20 years ago- and tidy it up. Gib Hill (short for Gibbet Hill) is a few minutes walk from the henge. It's a neolithic barrow with a bronze age barrow on top of it and- yes- at some stage- I suppose in the 18th century- there was a gibbet there.

                                    ARBOR LOW

 

                                    Aileen stayed in the four wheel drive.

                                    This was the sensible thing to do.

 

                                    The wind was pure unpleasantness,

                                    Slinging the rain like fistfuls of gravel,

 

                                    Beating the gnarly stones.  They looked

                                    Friable, like left-over wodges

 

                                    Of dirty snow.  When I imagine

                                    A priesthood for these places I see

                       

                                    Such men and women as Stukeley emoted

                                    In oakleaf coronets- not today;

 

                                    This weather favours no ghosts but the slatted,

                                    Air-treading low-lives of Gibbet Hill.

Subscribe

  • Chairs

    The kitchen is nearly finished. Nearly, nearly, nearly..... And when it is we we'll be putting things away in cupboards, rationalising as we…

  • 'Fessing Up

    With the kitchen being out of bounds so much of the time I've been eating poorly. Lots of fibre, very little protein. This must stop. I…

  • Don't Mention The War

    British films made immediately after the end of WWII are either all about the War or else ignore it completely. Case in point: The October Man (1947)…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
  • 16 comments

  • Chairs

    The kitchen is nearly finished. Nearly, nearly, nearly..... And when it is we we'll be putting things away in cupboards, rationalising as we…

  • 'Fessing Up

    With the kitchen being out of bounds so much of the time I've been eating poorly. Lots of fibre, very little protein. This must stop. I…

  • Don't Mention The War

    British films made immediately after the end of WWII are either all about the War or else ignore it completely. Case in point: The October Man (1947)…