Poet's Corner: The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins

The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins

I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!

Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.

My poem: okapi by okapi

okapi by okapi

shy, dear forest forager’s forays be-
-tween sun-striped leaves and trees in loping ease,
elude each eye.
of dark velvet cloak which leaches to repel thick damp, and long wry
Tongue which reaches, in and out, by degree
again and again! a rare hide, hiding, quietly.
at no-sound sounding, silent hooves up-cry
and down to pound lush carpet floor. Oh fly,
employ all camouflage, that none will see

that grace which taut-strung bones, honed ossicones,
made ears to flick at danger. Oh, be a stranger
even unto me.

Poet's Corner: Wind by Ted Hughes

Wind by Ted Hughes

This house has been far out at sea all night,
The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills,
Winds stampeding the fields under the window
Floundering black astride and blinding wet
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My poem: Weather

Weather by okapi

the weather is forgettable at best
with no bite or character, a dull complaint
made duller by unfashionable wadding.
hulking mass of discomfiture. And cold.

the sky agrees, horizon permitting
only one shade of unremarkable
yet serviceable gray in which to bathe
the bister landscape and its interloper

then, with a tap of cosmic paintbrush, mites
come dancing. doubts dispelled, wonder sets in.
And prayer. awakened, eyes seize the moment
when radii increase. the blank page fills.