Arbor Low

[poliphilo]

My friend veronica_milvus just posted an excellent poem about Arbor Low- the Derbyshire henge. It prompted me to dig out my effort- written nearly 20 years ago- and tidy it up. Gib Hill (short for Gibbet Hill) is a few minutes walk from the henge. It's a neolithic barrow with a bronze age barrow on top of it and- yes- at some stage- I suppose in the 18th century- there was a gibbet there.

                                    ARBOR LOW

 

                                    Aileen stayed in the four wheel drive.

                                    This was the sensible thing to do.

 

                                    The wind was pure unpleasantness,

                                    Slinging the rain like fistfuls of gravel,

 

                                    Beating the gnarly stones.  They looked

                                    Friable, like left-over wodges

 

                                    Of dirty snow.  When I imagine

                                    A priesthood for these places I see

                       

                                    Such men and women as Stukeley emoted

                                    In oakleaf coronets- not today;

 

                                    This weather favours no ghosts but the slatted,

                                    Air-treading low-lives of Gibbet Hill.

Comments

[sovay]

This weather favours no ghosts but the slatted,
Air-treading low-lives of Gibbet Hill.

I wish you would send this one somewhere. It is ghostly.

[margaretarts.livejournal.com]

Yes, good poem. "The wind was pure unplesantness, Slinging the rain like fistfuls of gravel." Perfect. And "air-treading" is Hopkinsworthy!

[oakmouse]

Lovely poem! And I heart anyone who can use the word friable correctly. *g*

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this. What a difference it makes to meet a new place in particular weather! I loved the "fistfuls of gravel". Having looked at Julian cope's "modern antiquarian" it seems that most people feel about Arbor Low the way you do. I need to go back there next summer.