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Driving to Garretstown;
Never a quick journey
as the road
meanders mischievously,
yet,
with this,
comes unexpected delights.
Turning a corner
I was intrigued to see
how a field
had been cut
in a beautiful
weaving pattern,
allowing for contour
of hedge and road.
The exposed stubble
stood strong and defiant
in the searching
August sunshine.
Perhaps later,
when a soft darkness
eiderdowns the land,
a fox
will break cover
from protective hedgerow
and,
low–slung,
will slink across
this stubbled field,
sniffing the lure
of scent
carrying from a good
half–acre away.
© by Gerard Coughlan.
Used here with the author’s permission.
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Gerard Coughlan lives in Cork City, Ireland. He has always loved poetry as an art form and has written all his life. Gerard says his chosen themes are many and varied, but he strives to include the magnificence of nature in many of his works, “even when it involves family relationships, dreadful urban planning, or the myopia which seems to plague so many of our politicians.” Gerard’s work has been featured in journals and on the radio; his influences have been Philip Larkin, Patrick Kavanagh, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Eavan Boland, and John Betjeman, among others.
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Jancan:
A vividly descriptive delight
Posted 08/14/2023 09:37 PM
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Anastasia:
"a soft darkness eiderdowns the land," - what an *amazing* phrase! All of the images are so apt and the language so lovely!
Posted 08/14/2023 04:46 PM
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liz dolan:
Why was it I knew immediately this was written by an Irish poet? You are well named, Gerard. Continue meandering mischievously. Liz
Posted 08/14/2023 02:53 PM
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Lori Levy:
Very visual. Beautiful images.
Posted 08/14/2023 01:59 PM
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paradea:
I like this poem!
Posted 08/14/2023 01:25 PM
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cork:
We seldom find beauty in stubble, and I love the fox.
Posted 08/14/2023 10:58 AM
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Larry Schug:
I especially like the last stanza. I feel it could stand alone. Beautiful images throughout.
Posted 08/14/2023 07:57 AM
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