Thursday 11 June 2015

MEMORIES

Do you remember particular trees?
At Marchmont, where I was born, the garden
Had one sycamore sapling: perhaps my age,
But useless to a small boy. Sciennes
Was an Eden, apple, cherry, chestnut,
And the pear whose branches sauntered and rambled;
I have not plundered or climbed a taller
Tree. Once an exotic green of budgie
Evaded my fingertips. The main memory
From Valleyfield was the birch which William
Clawed down in my photo. Mayshade had
A neat conifer growing too rapidly
From inches to feet. The elm at Straiton
Stricken, cost two days work and two
Days burning to a Polish escapee from
Martial law. Here a slight lime-tree
Sprouts, and glues, and drops seeds, and fades
To a premature mite-induced autumn. These
Are my tree-memories - and what are yours?


These are the places I have had as home; Sciennes is pronounced "sheens"; William was the cat where I lodged a while in London.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I'm glad to hear how this strikes you!