Down by the riverside

By Rhiannonw

Fri, 12 Sep 2014
  • 2031 reads
8 comments
 

(river Wye, near How Caple, 10/9/14)

Sunshine dapples
river ripples,
leaves drift down
and float along
the current’s steady onward flow.
Bankside vegetation
bleached, with smatterings
of ‘muslin’ blossom –
Himalayan Balsam,
soft and languid;    
rustling trees cast clear
reflection.
Crowds of swirling little fish
one larger passing, graceful swish.
Raucous cawing – rooks whirl high,
will the kingfisher blue flash by?
dreamy warming afternoon,
then, time to rise and rouse, too soon.

Certificate U
Poem
Countryside explorations
Nature

Comments

Submitted by Bee on

I felt I was there, Rhiannon. Lovely.

Bee

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Bee, glad to give you a relaxing taste. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

I don't know this place but I could picture it beautifully. 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Yes, a beautiful quiet spot. Pleased you enjoyed sharing, Catherine. Thanks for telling me. Rhiannon
 

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

What a lovley restful place, perfect for relaxing by on a Friday evening. Himalayan Balsam, so lovely but I've seen signs up warning of its danger, glad it can be itself in your poem.

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Yes, it does grow rather quickly and swamp areas. As you say, it was the main bit of colour at the moment. I'm pleased you found the verse relaxing. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Rhiannon

This was lovely and restful to read and think about. I like your choices of words - sunshine dapples, muslin blossom. I wonder if the fabric muslin was named after Muslims? Never thought of that before.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Jean. You prompted me to look up 'muslin cloth'. Wikiipedia says, 'It gets its name from the city of Mosul in Iraq where it was first manufactured', and Bangladesh seems to have been famous in its production. Rhiannon