A Luminous Presence

A luminous presence (in honour of whatever appears on the lens of the camera, but if it is cleaned, this composition will make no sense whatsoever!)

There is a luminous presence
Or perhaps a ghostly essence
And it’s hanging over Lambwatch near the cam
Though it looks like phosphorescence
Or a bird that left a present
Might it be a faery godmother for the lambs?

Or perhaps a guardian angel    
To protect them all from danger
and to send those ghastly midges on their way?
A silent, watchful spirit?
If you listen, can you hear it?
Will it still be there when we see break of day?

You never know, in Yorkshire,
What spirits might cavort there -
and what angels might be flitting through the vales,
Where the sheep are safely grazing
and high summer’s heat is blazing,.
And all that’s harmful’s banished from the Dales!

In this field so green and pleasant,
Where you hear the cry of pheasant,
And the lambs grow ever fatter as they play -
‘Twould be nice to think an angel
Keeps the flock and farm from danger
And protects all living creatures through their days.

Acknowledgement for some of thoughts in this poem (about a water spot on a lens) is owed to William Blake, J.S. Bach and Thomas Aquinas, who wanted to know how many angels could dance on the head of a pin!

Extremely well put together, Helen. Well done. You have such a flair for poetry. I love it.

I agree with Grace.... well done Helen     

Corky the Flying Pig

One day, while watching birds on high

Young Corky marvelled "My oh my

If only I could learn to fly

I'd be a happy pig".

He climbed on to the pig house top

And took a running sort of hop

Now sadly there was quite a drop

And sure enough he fell.

The other pigs did laugh and scoff

He cleared his throat and gave a cough

He wasn't in the least put off

One day he'd show them all.

For weeks he sat upon a chair

And gazed up through the window there

He dreamed of floating through the air

Which made his parents cross.

They sent him off to piggy school

But Corky disobeyed the rules

He acted up and played the fool

He didn't learn a thing.

The teachers came to ask him why

To which our Corky did reply

"There's just one thing I'd like to try

I want to learn to fly".

They sent him back to Mum - Oh shame!

But things at home renmained the same

He didn't want toy, friend or game

His sights were set much higher.

As soon as he was old enough

Our Corky joinrd the RAF

Now he's a pilot brave and tough

And flying happily.

But when the farmer wipes his eye

And tells you that a pig can't fly

Don't say a word about our Corky

This whole tale was one big "porky".

So when we recite...  
"...and talk of many things,
Of ships and shoes and sealing wax,
Of cabbages and kings
and if the sea is boiling hot
And whether pigs have wings!"
They really do.  Thanks, Maria!  I won't forget Corky in a hurry!

Helen, when my kids were little they were required to do a "turn"  in the fundraising concert for cubs, brownies, whatever. None of them were musical but all 4 had excellent memories. To this end I wrote poems for them to recite (I have to admit, a humorous poem was a great relief during 30 Grade 1 piano pieces) and this was one of them. There are many others.

Oh, Maria, share them with us!  I think lots of people would enjoy them.  I would!!  And having taught music for years and knowing the agonies of listening to other people's children play (or stumble through) little ditties, I can well imagine how welcome your poetry-reciting children would be in that setting!

Here is the luminous presence!

Thanks Dan.  At this rate we may need a Poets' Corner.  Two sheep were standing staring at this glowing object last night, and I must say it brought a Christmas carol to mind!  

A poem for this week ( but do bear in mind they were written for children)

Hoomski the Hoomi

Hoomski was the Hoomi of a far and distant land

He sure was lonely with no family to hand

He wanted a wife that would be just right

But he couldn't think who, though he pondered day and night.

A prince has his princess with long, blonde hair

A knight goes a-courting for a damsel fair

An emperor has an empress, a tsarina has her tsar

But for someone for a Hoomi he would have to search far

He travelled round the world on many boats and then a train

But he hadn't any luck until, while stepping off a plane

What he saw at Luton Airport made his heart beat very fast

Could this be the very soul-mate for our Hoomi at last

There stood a creature of a very pleasing size

She was tall, she was substantial, with enormous green eyes

So he drew a big breath and said "My dear, who might you be?"

And she turned to him, most sweetly smiled and said "Who, me/"

"A Hoomi!" cried out Hoomski "that's the very perfect one

Marry me and come to my land, there to share my throne"

Now it happened that this lady rather liked our hero's pun 

And she thought that Hoomski might be really rather fun

SO

They flew through God.s heaven

In a 747

And landed at sunset, ja?

Now thanks to "Who, me?"

(Whose name was Marie)

Our Hoomski's  Hoom-pa-pa 

erratum : the "a" is missing in the last line

As in "Our Hoomski's a Hoom-pa-pa