 |
| abandoned barn, Dublin, Ohio, July 2011 click to embiggen |
Tall nettles cover up, as they have done
These many springs, the rusty harrow, the plough
Long worn out, and the roller made of stone:
Only the elm butt tops, the nettles now.
This corner of the farmyard I like most:
As well as any bloom upon a flower
I like the dust on the nettles, never lost
Except to prove the sweetness of a shower.
Edward Thomas 1878-1917
Thanks to R.A.D. Stainforth for this lovely poem.
Wonderful photo...I can almost take in the scent of this dark place. A photo book of abandoned barns of Ohio? Poem goes well here.
ReplyDeleteBlue Sky, the air was still heavy with the scent of cows, oil and hay. It was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWell constructed words, photo, and references
ReplyDeleteI can feel the cool and the smell of aged timber.
ReplyDeleteCan we take in all the unusable and the neglected shelters and equipments? Invariably it these unattended 'leftovers' that clutter and occupy valuable space. It is happening everywhere.Good that you made us aware.
ReplyDeleteImage and poem marry so well here, beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNettles must be quite tall to carry dust, they are a true sign of something being untouched for a long time.
Great series, this abandoned America. Our old barn doesn't smell as wonderful.
ReplyDelete"This corner of the farmyard I like most:
ReplyDeleteAs well as any bloom upon a flower"
Lovely lines. Looks like a most perfect place to sit for a while. Enjoyed it.
ah: your neck of the woods is quite pleasant, too
ReplyDeleteI love photos like this. So haunting....
ReplyDeleteI love these "abandoned" photos. And I love this poem. My favourite thing about cottage and farm yards are the corners, where the loveliest vegetation grows. Cheeky, and I don't know if there's anything more beautiful in my mind.
ReplyDeleteLast weekend I attended a party at a farmhouse where we lived during the time when my oldest daughter was born. I loved that house because its yard had lots of those corners.
I really love this post, Tess. It's like you took me there again.
I really like the sound of the lines in this poem. And great photo!
ReplyDeleteThis gorgeous photo is the perfect image with this poem....Thank you for sharing them!
ReplyDeletea poet and a picker's paradise!
ReplyDeleteThat barn reminds me of something, I do hope this is going to turn into a proper series... I wonder why we all love abandoned buildings so much?
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking blogspot should adopt your new terminology "embiggen"! Love it!!!
ReplyDeleteCro, yes, this is going to be a proper series. Stay tuned; I have tons of photos!
ReplyDeleteKathleen, isn't "embiggen" the best word?
ReplyDeleteA charming match of image and words.
ReplyDeleteTreasury's of shadows and memory, lovely!...Cheers mate!
ReplyDeleteI can see it all, that's how good your writing is
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the Grapes of Wrath.
rel
How strange : our synchronicity is at work again (see my rusted farm machinery on my post today). Equally, only yesterday I was reading a long article about the friendship between Thomas and Robert Frost. And just before turning to your blog I remembered that John Hayes is moving today.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful article in the Times recently about Edward Thomas and his friendship with Robert Frost while in England before the war. That there is a possibility if not probability that "two roads" was written for him as he found it hard to make up his mind about whether to fight or not. So even more moving that he did go and he died because he cared about the ordinary people.
ReplyDeleteTess, I love the readings of poems that I find on your blog. SmilesSusie
ReplyDeletenettle dust kindness
ReplyDeleterooting for thee
nettle dust kindness
save some for me
corners like old barns
hidden from view
let lifetimes flourish
line 8 was not to be found
unlike the storm washed flower
its head stayed
nettley
its rhyme internal
its song
suspended
there will be sun
creeping along the barn wall
between boards
when cracks
emerge
and the flower
Alan and Gerry, I am waiting on a book of Thomas poetry to arrive from Amazon, as we speak. I am intrigued by his relationship with Robert Frost. I must go read more...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, your poem is so very lovely. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful, both the poem and the image. I love to see what grows, what lives in the abounded places.
ReplyDeleteNice poem, nice photo -- enjoyed -- barbara
ReplyDeleteEdward Thomas - no nature poet to beat him.
ReplyDeletelove the photograph tess....
ReplyDeletehappy to stop by tonight
kary and teddy
xx
You always match the poem/pic with the right photo, or the other way around. Something that I want to learn and be patient in doing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!
JJRod'z
Anything abandoned seems to be the beginning of the tale. Questions form before you can take a breath.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of my mother's family farm in Graysriver, WA.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments, everyone. I'm glad you enjoy the image, as much as I did taking it.
ReplyDelete"...dust on the nettles, never lost
ReplyDeleteExcept to prove the sweetness of a shower."
Isn't that stratospherically beautiful?
And every scent/odor here is embedded in my nostrils as sweet memories of my childhood, before ever experiencing the smell from a factory smokestack.
Your blog is a winner, girl!
Tess -- doorway to the pasture and the lands that lay fallow -- barbara
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post to happen upon ...
ReplyDeleteKincaid, thanks for the shout. Your word "embiggen" reminds me of the instructions Percy Grainger wrote in his music; he wanted to replace the conventional Italian musical terms, so you get things like "louden lots" for "molto crescendo".
ReplyDeleteAnother winner image in your
ReplyDeleteseries; this a bit darker, damper,
and mysterious. How many barns
did you happen upon to put
this ton of pics together?
wonderful combo and a new poet for me to check out.
ReplyDeleteLove that bright green rectangle in the midst of the dark!
ReplyDeleteCaught me off guard, kept reading and seeing, light and mixture. Love this post.
ReplyDelete