Pete Crowther
Pete Crowther Poems
(In memory of Stephen (Reggie) Pearce
of Kilnsea,1980–2005)
The wind blows cold through the churchyard trees
...
The photo’s small and rather creased but there
We are, a family group in black and white.
A camera has the trick of freezing time.
We’re posed before a boat outside our house,
...
When evil strikes
In fire and flood
Or untimely death by dread disease
We sometimes wonder “What of God? ”
...
Alas he’s gone our little friendly rat,
we’ll miss that trusting paw, those gentle ways,
as snuggling close to us content he sat.
Where now that little eager furry face,
...
From my cottage kitchen window I can see
Two fields away the blue, the shining sea
And ships that slowly glide to far-off shores
Each one a separate world with its own laws;
...
When the cupboard is bare
And the cat’s had the cream,
Who cares about a dead fish?
...
I rarely go by bus but when I do
For safety’s sake I choose a seat well back.
Today the bus was crowded like a zoo,
My seat companion wore a plastic mac,
...
(The moons of December, January
and February were once known by our
forebears respectively as Long Night or
Cold Moon, Wolf or Storm Moon, and Snow Moon)
...
I never thought I'd live
One day to see my daughter be
A Human Resources Policy Executive.
...
The lock is stiff, the heavy wooden door
On rusted hinges creaks as I walk in.
Tonight I am to sleep here in this lighthouse.
It’s twenty years since last its scything beam
...
Swimming in its world of amber
The long-legged fly can still remember
The burning heat
...
Five miles high
in our chartered jet
we fly in Fairyland,
all shining light, the
...
It was a lovely day,
The hawthorn hedge
Was coming into bloom
And on the lawn
...
In a little family group they stood
Aggrieved on the petshop floor.
“It bit me and me mam and our Gladys,
And ‘im, that boy by the door”.
...
from a news item reporting an assault on a Japanese tourist
who had unwittingly insulted a person by using a phrasebook
deliberately mistranslated by an ex-employee of the Japanese Tourist
Board bearing a grudge against his former employers
...
Sometimes in life
it makes good sense
to close your eyes
and jump that fence
...
This is our yuletide wish for you—
May you find light in winter’s skies
May you have peace in the midst of strife
May you have joy where sadness lies
...
She was a kind soft-hearted girl
but as a child, she said, she kept
some stick insects in a tank as pets,
and every morning with a spoon
...
Trichocaulon cactiforme*
Slow in growth but rather rare
Year on year it’s never altered
Candle shaped and coloured grey,
...
Pete Crowther Biography
Web pages www.wilgilsland.co.uk Web pages www.lulu.com/content/214133# Web pages www.flickr.com/photos/petecrowther/ Web pages http: //moonhare77.deviantart.com Born in Hull in East Yorkshire into a seafaring family, he spent some time in the Royal Navy after completing his education, before a career as chief cataloguer at the universities of Birmingham, and Hull where he served under the poet and librarian, Philip Larkin. Now retired he lives with his wife in a small cottage sandwiched between the North Sea and the broad River Humber. He first started writing poetry as a hobby just three years ago. His other interests are natural history, Egyptology, and local history. He is a keen cyclist and motorcyclist. Early this year (2006) , he had a selection of his poems published as a book, entitled “Calling the Moon”, by the on-line publishers-on-demand, Lulu.com (http: //www.lulu.com/214133#) . This book features poems written by the author between late 2003 and early 2006. There are many sea-related poems in the collection reflecting the author’s close association with and love for the sea. Other themes stem from his interest and fascination with Egyptology while readers may be surprised by the number of ‘rat’ poems; he and his wife have kept pet rats for several years and found them to be lovable and rewarding pets. The author likes to experiment with different kinds and styles of poems so that here will be found humorous poems, serious poems, long poems, short poems, narrative poems, found poems, collage poems, and both rhymed and unrhymed poems. Some are written in blank verse while others are written in a variety of formal styles and metres. He admits to having been influenced by the poet, Robin Skelton’s rich source book of descriptions and examples of poetic forms from all over the world, both ancient and modern, 'The Shapes of Our Singing'(2002) . A further book of poems, 'Dancing in the Wind' was published in 2007.)
The Best Poem Of Pete Crowther
A Biker's Funeral
(In memory of Stephen (Reggie) Pearce
of Kilnsea,1980–2005)
The wind blows cold through the churchyard trees
and sadly tolls the passing bell
as mourners shuffle up the leaf-strewn
narrow path between the leaning stones.
He was just twenty-five, so young,
so full of life, and love of life
and laughter — killed outright one night
in a head-on crash on his motorbike.
From far and wide we’ve gathered here
to pay respect to our young friend.
I’ve never seen the church so full,
oh death, how can you be so cruel?
Who will forget this funeral?
Four hundred strong in the nave we stood,
family and friends both young and old
and a phalanx of bikers in leathers and boots.
Between the holy platitudes
and hymns they played his favourite songs;
one had to smile to hear within
that ancient august church of stone
come belting out the vibrant tones
of modern rock and heavy metal.
Who can forget the coffin passing
in procession like a royal barque,
the biker’s helmet on its lid
resplendent in heraldic tones
— rich gules, azure, argent, or,
a shining light of knightly splendour?
Who will forget that send-off from
his fellow bikers when three score
or more bright gleaming motorcycles
with a thunderous roar led off the hearse?
Pete Crowther Comments
I am slowly making my way through your poems, and they all have something to say to me. I like 'A Fly In Amber' especially, I like the way it has existed from whenever and has seen all these wonderful moments. Anyone who knows what Eocene means deserves a medal, I had to look it up.
Eat your heart out, Hallmark Cards! Hearty congratulations, Peter.
i'm not sure how i feel about your bons mots, but the rest of your poetry is awesome. It is unexplainable how great the poems are.
Pete, you are, without a doubt, one of the best pastoral poets I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Your work takes me out of myself into another world, one filled with joy of 'all things wise and wonderful, all things great and small.' Thank you for being kind enough to share your writing with me, and your insight into life as well. You are awsome, Pete.
Peter, I just want to let you know that whenever I feel like traveling, I end up among your poems. Each one is a little trip somewhere interesting, often pastoral, and always worth visiting. Thank you for them!
Always refreshing to read your work, Peter. You have a wonderfully descriptive nature! Keep up the great work. Looking forward to reading new poems!
Thank you so much for reading me..Your poetry is quite beautiful..and you do have a talent for creative expression yourself...a pleasure reading you... louise
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9/26/2023 9:44:23 PM # 1.0.0.1113
I do think you are an especially gifted poet. You capture precious moments in your life; much as you capture your precious moths - with design, passion and dedication to the job at hand. You make something ordinary, extraordinarily beautiful. Your titles are wonderful, and throughout each poem runs a vein of simplicity which, it seems to me, comes from a deep reverence for life.