Newstead Poem by Sheila Sharpe

There is a timeless place
That comes unbidden to my memory
Where sky blue harebells border a winding track
And lilies of the valley shine in ancient woodlands
Beneath the choir nave trunksof grey and black
Where once more I walk
Beside the black-mossed waterwheel
Frozen sentinel of mill pond dark and still
As winter is heralded by drifting snows
Borne on whispering winds that burn yet chill
Where the shadowed windows of the abbey
Are gilded by benefice of evening beams
And a stone pyramid is eloquent of madness
Above the silent waters
Where the lake spills overinto murmuring streams

This is the place that spawned a Poet's words and
Merging with emotion, wove them into timeless verse
To concoct a potent potion of bewitchment
That spins across the years
Of laughter, love, and happiness
Of sadness, wild romance, and tears
No wonder, then, that such a place
The centuries can span
And still sow a million memories
Into the hearts of man