Monday, March 20, 2006

With Wings

The calling bell peals out across the dales, fens and marshes. The morning workers, fruitlessly toiling their lives away in orchards, valleys and hedge rows, sing out against the arrival of the morning’s first wind. Its direction?

Over the graves, leaves. Over the graves, windmills and teddy bears. Over the graves, dead flowers. Over the graves, warm recumbent bodies. Over the graves, God’s great beneficence. Over the graves, more sorrow than you’ve ever felt.

Hallelujah the church bells, also pealing. The flock, responding in rhyme and song. A walk up the paths, two either side, to the church doors, two either side. In the vast skies above, tickled by the playful touch of spire, more beneficence. Those of upward looking bent spy this beneficence and drop to their knees. As well they fucking should. Worms, if they had knees, would also do this.

Hannah Pan of graceful eyes and lilt is a mist this morning. Avoiding the throck and throng, she is all eyes a-smiling which lift her above the Godlessness below to heights those fools can only dream of. And yes, they might shield their pinhole eyes in disgusted terror. And yes, Hannah Pan floats somewhere above them, they’re sure, treading the undulations of gentle winds of colour and cool. She is all and more.

The wind this morning is a simultaneous appearance at both ends of the street. The street is dry and still. Above, the chime of the village clock. In the distance, a gathering storm of obfuscation. Soon, the heavy fall of allegory. No wind.

4 Comments:

Blogger Molly Bloom said...

Very moving piece, this one. Beautiful natural imagery and the everlasting wonder of the graveyard on which the mourners place their offerings of love/grief. The heartbreaking contrast of windmills and teddy bears against the soft skies above. The brilliant description of the church and poignant image of Hannah, even her soft name an echo of the quiet scene that lulls the senses.

1:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've always liked how you personify the natural elements - giving them a loftiness and then dragging them back down to earth. You can see a story in everything then, and doesn't that make the world a more interesting place?

9:30 AM  
Blogger Molly Bloom said...

I just came back to this and was fascinated to read the contrast between this piece and the ferocious Modernist language/style of the last piece. A lot of writers can only produce work in one 'style' or possibly a couple of similarly related styles. Your work scans a very wide range of poetic/High Modernism/Avant-garde/personal/fluid naturalism/didactic and exciting polemics. Quite Joycean in your ability to do this. I'm jealous.

9:34 AM  
Blogger Molly Bloom said...

Ooh, someone wrote a comment at almost exactly the same time as me. Cool.

9:35 AM  

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