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PER MARE PER TERRAM

Chant du monde boréal
Shoormal.
Sandshifter, 60N.
Where it all makes sense.


CHRONICLES FROM ARCANIA

Preamble

Through Chronicles from Arcania, I shall attempt to share walks with you, this poetics from 60N, where I feel at one with our Earth, my sense of place so maritime.


Wednesday 25 August 2010

the oared folk

One year ago or thereabout,

I was standing on my sandbridge at St Ninian and watched folk row in the distance.
I had the whole beach to my feet  and came back home with bits and bolts from evening walk and made the most of this day-dream by engraving those words in ink after freeing them from the kelp...

One moment capsule in one grain where one tide rocks symetrical.

Today i dream  of craft builders who would understand the Atlantic, the deep meaning of humli- baand.............
So there it is without further introduction.

The Oared Folk

They’re rowing,
curved silhouettes towards fringe of one horizon

they’re rowing,
out to ocean they dream to tame

they’re rowing,
oar against kabe, same humli-baand

they’re rowing,
palms against wood create friction

they’re rowing,
clockwork bodies, mechanical

away from all familiar craigs,
elliptic bays,
light selkies songs –

temptation fae da waterhorse

they’re rowing
and I watch you barefoot in sand.


Poet’s notes:
Kabe: wooden pice holding the oar in place; humli-band: a piece of rope keeping oar to the kabe.

© Nat Hall 2009

And oh, this piece was well received at last year's Creative Connections.

2 comments:

  1. The 2 line stanzas when read aloud are in a rowing time and motion. Excellent!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Gordon,
    Thank you for dropping in.
    Hey, this is exactly how it is intended :-)
    Its rhythm allows the rower's pace inside each wave... I can hear each crack in the yoal's rivetted hull as well! ...Movement of the oar.

    ReplyDelete