Driving To Southampton Poem by Janice Windle

Driving To Southampton

Rating: 3.5


Long shadows
this bright November morning.

Sun
picking out gold pieces
hanging
among leaves it ‘s burned
to earth colours:
burnt sienna, ochre,
sombre terra verte.

The feathered silver birches
and fanned corals of the oaks
defined in raw umber
by a draughtsman's pen.

A line of poplars.
Spare skeletons
wearing the tatters of summer's green
on gaunt graceful arms
raised to the duck-egg sky.

A cloud.
Slow-drifting,
turns back its dragon head,
responding to the spiral winds
that play in the high blue spaces
where it formed,
reforms,
changes and transmutes
as, earthbound,
I drive down the motorway.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM

This is utterly divine. I know the journey (did my degrees in Southampton) but I never quite saw it like this... your eye for detail and talent for penning it up into a thoroughly engaging, serene, pensive and appreciative piece is second to none. t x

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Francesca Johnson 08 November 2007

You've painted this piece with the colours of your art, literally, and conjured up a whole palette of images. I do like the description of the clouds! Altogether a superb piece of poetry, Jan. Love, Fran xxx

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Original Unknown Girl 13 November 2007

Jan, after reading what Fran wrote, it's like it's mirroring my exact same thoughts on this poem. Your brought your artful eye to this piece, I've been toying with all of the autumnal shades in my head for a tribute piece, no way could I have written anything so gorgeous. The dragon cloud jumps out at me and breathes fire! ! Fab! HG: -) xx

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Kelly Kurt 16 April 2015

I would like to take that drive. Thanks, Janice

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Francie Lynch 16 April 2014

Good versifying. A panache for imagery.

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..... W@king Up..... 16 April 2013

This is a wonderful piece of art :) marvellous!

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Martin O'Neill 17 April 2012

This is lovely Janice. There are two palettes at work here- that of the artist seeing the shades and textures and interrelationships of colour and shadow and shape, - and that of the poet painting the scene in words that ebb and flow and make a portrait no less beguiling than the brush does. Great poem.

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R H 17 November 2007

Love how you weave together earth and sky and capture all that is transient, the shadows, the clouds, the colours of autumn and then ground this with the closing 'earthbound' line. justine x

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