Behind The Fence

[Heather]

[r.magnay]

...you have a bit of a thing about graveyards don't you Heather? a pretty good poem; non the less.

[Neville Briggs]

A neat little meditation Heather.

[Stephen Whiteside]

I like the floating final lines.

'Bourne' is a cute word. I had to look that up!

[Heather]

Yes Ross, and for mountain views, fog in the valleys, the smell of eucalyptus in the summer, the bloom of the wattle every year - I never cease to be entranced. This poem is based on an old cemetery (1850) where I spent 8mths doing a volunteer project to record the headstones, map the graves and photograph every headstone, inscription, grave and monumental furniture. I became very fond of the place - working in fog, frost, and even snow one day and watching the emergence of the daffodils and irises and native orchids.

Thanks Neville. It is such a peaceful place and perfect for reflection.

Thanks Stephen - you aren't the first to have to look it up. Bourne is a result of my over indulgence in old newspaper and is a word often used in 1880s obituaries. Another term used was "gone to his long bed in the sky". Great use of language in those old papers and it comes out in my poetry occasionally. This poem picked up a HC at Gulgong in 2012.

Heather

[warooa]

A well-deserved HC Heather.

I love old words too . . . I've been reading a bit of old stuff recently and making lists of words that you just don't hear used anymore. It's great to hear a lot of old vocab unearthed and used again.

Marty

[Heather]

Thanks Marty.

New words for old I guess - but the new ones just don't seem the same do they? It was not only the words, but the way they were strung together that made them interesting.

What old interesting words have you found Marty?

Heather

[warooa]

vermilionize

[Maureen K Clifford]

You sent me a photo of that cemetary and I actually nicked it and used it with a Haiku - giving you accreditation for the photo - it was a very beautiful photo.

I love your poem - it just feels right and the archaic terms suit it well

Cheers

Maureen

[Neville Briggs]

vermilionize

very handy in a poem about sunburn or embarrassment.