How Green is my Valley?

How Green is my Valley?

A Poem by Chris Shaw

Upon this hill brow looking down
into a valley's wide eyed gaze,
refreshed by bird song and the sun
I see the work of yesterday.
Here tractors cut thick meadow grass
and left behind in even rows
their tracks, attracting feeding crows.

As grass now dries in autumn air
and morning mist evaporates
into a cloudless sapphire sky,
my hope that others not yet born
will tread this pathway and this space
will not fall foul to building bricks
to disappear without a trace.

© 2018 Chris Shaw


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I was half expecting a dedication or a tribute to the old B&W movie by the same name which I now vividly remember as a young child making me cry (because I found it so emotional & quite writely sad) .. Having said all that, I am so bloomin glad my reflexes for once, were wrong .. in fact, seemingly way off mark .. Your penned observation can not be faulted and your expressed wishes and hopes, likewise shared unreservedly .. Neville

Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

1 Year Ago

This place is on my doorstep, a ten minute walk away. I hope it stays as it is. The developers move .. read more
Neville

1 Year Ago


I hope they leave it be, too Chris



Reviews

Summer... hay drying in fields, sun turning the horizon red, cattle wandering to and fro, the days when a drifter wandered free....
Sadly, my daughter will never know that. Not the way I came to know it, just me and God himself. Beautiful, Ms. Shaw.

Posted 2 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

2 Years Ago

Thank you MJS for your thoughts. Your daughter may not live the experiences you had, but she will ha.. read more
It is hard to watch the Present Steamroll the Past. However, after three generations what we remember and write about will be replaced with what they remember and will write about. And sometimes that is not a bad thing. That is why poems like yours should be written and recorded, so the future may view the days and places that came before it. --- I especially like the lines,
"As grass now dries in autumn air
and morning mist evaporates
into a cloudless sapphire sky," --- Nice!

Posted 2 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

2 Years Ago

Thank you Falcon for sharing your thoughts. There is plenty of steam rollering going on. Open spaces.. read more
It's a wonderful painting painted with words. It is ravishing and gives a sense of serenity echoing through it before it rings some serious bells at the end. The message or thought at the end of this is sublime and subtle. Bravo

Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

Thank you Suhd for your very generous review. Much appreciated.

Chris
Suhd

6 Years Ago

Always a pleasure, Chris!
Touching tribute to a beloved land. This is why I love your mind. So simple the imagery, so magic the love of nature's beauty -- and for humanity. Fav lines: "my hope that others not yet born will tread this pathway and this space." Sometimes the future looks to be an inhospitable place, and that is sometimes our fault. I love to write about the warmth of a pastoral scene -- or paint them as the mood strikes. I could share a pic of one of my paintings if you wish. Please continue o dazzle us with your lovely odes.

Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

Thank you Doug for your warm review. I'd like very much for you to share a pic of one of your painti.. read more
very well. seems, you have nicely captured & stored the reality of your "yesterday" in suchness of words. it reminds me of village where crows soaring through the skies and farmers shouting at their "lullabies". i have clearly watched the whole set of picture in mind, of course, & undoubtedly, though the cinema of your valley-words. certainly, looking forward to reading your work this night, Anne. you have got a very beautiful art of choice with words that you shan't let go. have at it... and keep writing, lovely you.

Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

Thank you Adams. Your visit to my page and your review, very much appreciated.

Chris
Even at my approximate halfway stage through life, there are fields and meadows and other lovely open spaces of my childhood, that are now no more than treasured memory. Three decades or so ago, our village was a 'proper' village, now is is little more than a part of the urban sprawl.

This is a beautiful and classically written poem, that showcases what is happening more and more in our world, and also shows me that good poetry is alive and well.

Beccy.

Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

Sadly that is what is happening. Urban sprawl. See it all the time. Thank you Beccy for your thought.. read more
The season of Autumn. I love the change of color. I loved the complete poem. Thank you Chris for sharing the amazing poetry.


Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

Beautiful outlook here Coyote. I always appreciate this place. All good wishes to you from across th.. read more
How green will our valleys remain
When they show pictures looking over cities and say

"What a glorious Landscape"
I wonder - Have they ever been out side the city?

Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

We are in danger of losing our most valuable asset. Areas where I roamed as a child now under concre.. read more
Wild Rose

6 Years Ago

Yes a fight going on in Kendal to remove cars from a car Park to build some offices - make a park in.. read more
Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

Good when commonsense prevails :))
You paint such a sad portrait all to real for the world today. Push, push on to progress, but at what cost? I too remember fields we once played in now turned into parking lots. Pick-up softball or basketball games all gone by the by in favor of condominiums.

Take care - Dave

Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

Thank you Dave. Ever expanding population, more houses, more schools, less green fields, less woodla.. read more
Concrete jungles, don't you just hate them.
It can only get worse.
Maybe brexit will fix it, but I doubt it.

Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

6 Years Ago

Thank you Paul. Yes concrete jungles, not good if you are a nature lover. Welcome I guess if you don.. read more

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38 Reviews
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Added on September 18, 2018
Last Updated on September 18, 2018

Author

Chris Shaw
Chris Shaw

Berkshire, United Kingdom



About
Albert, my paternal grandfather introduced me to Tennyson when I was nine. I have loved poetry ever since but did not attempt writing a single piece until I was 40. It's never too late to try somethin.. more..

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