Tag: dawn

Morchard

The photograph is of Morchard wood, taken in Autumn 2025. Morchard Bishop is a village in Mid Devon.

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It is the Great Wood:

“Morchet”, “Mor Coed”

Becoming “Morchard Bishop”

Or to locals just “Morchard”

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In winter impassable

Due to the mud

In summer a wonder

To Devon blood

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The trees’ breathing

Ensures we survive

Each moment’s photosynthesis

Each moment we are alive.

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‘Morchard’ comes from the new collection of poems being prepared. Devon a Light is available for purchase as a book via my poetry store here and to read or purchase as an ebook on Amazon here.

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Devon A Light

The photograph is of an autumn sunrise, taken from Morchard Bishop.

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The sky pinks and oranges

With red

Celebrations

After a stormy night

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And in imagination I’m led

By nature and a million words

Which in the silence I have heard

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That might

Set Devon all alight.

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‘Devon A Light’ comes from the collection of poems Devon a Light which is available for purchase as a book via my poetry store here and to read or purchase as an ebook on Amazon here.

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I’ll Tell You How The Sun Rose

I’ll tell you how the Sun rose – 
A Ribbon at a time – 
The Steeples swam in Amethyst – 
The news, like Squirrels, ran – 


The Hills untied their Bonnets – 
The Bobolinks – begun –
Then I said softly to myself –
“That must have been the Sun”!

But how he set – I know not –
There seemed a purple stile
That little Yellow boys and girls
Were climbing all the while – 

Till when they reached the other side – 
A Dominie in Gray – 
Put gently up the evening Bars – 
And led the flock away –

This wonderful poem by Emily Dickinson inspired me when I first read it in my late teens, and it still inspires me today.

The photograph was taken from my village, Morchard Bishop in Devon, looking at Dartmoor in the distance.

The Darkness Opening Into Morning

Mary Oliver wrote these beautiful lines:

“…the darkness opening into morning
Is more than enough…

Think of Sheba approaching
the kingdom of Solomon.
Do you think she had to ask,
‘Is this the place?'”

from ‘I wake close to morning’

I find dawn a wonderful, magical time in Shropshire, at all times of year. This photo of The Wrekin was taken one early morning in August. Now it is May there is are the countless songs and calls of the birds’ daily dawn chorus.

As she says – “more than enough”!

The Wrekin at Dawn

Out of the Darkness

The Wrekin looms out of the darkness on a Shropshire morning in March 2021. I drive past this iconic hill Monday to Friday every week, and sometimes it just speaks of life, for good, to me, as it did on this day…

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Out of the darkness

It looms

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The curving back

Of a dragon

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Slumbering

Deep within the earth

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As if long before

I was

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Or any were

There was a primordial birth

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Murmuring

Before rock

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Took shape  

And girth.

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