Lindie Heeralall

Birds flock above the winding river valley
Cars vroom on the road to the village
White egret at river’s edge
Red jacket, green wellies
Velvet-brown dog with the lolloping gate of youth

Tinkling tributary joins the swollen river
Crunch of frozen field underfoot
One watery stream to cross
Icy dread seeps between tongue and boot

Over pooh sticks bridge
Hidden bottom of the brook revealed
Collie crouches between thin trees on the slope
Green jacket and wellies

Up the stepped hill
Barking dogs in the kennel
Cooing of a ring-necked dove
Flitting finches in the hedgerow

Bobble-hatted woman
Long bobbed white hair
Black and white collie
Dusty ford pulls a silver land rover on a rope

Shy man marches up the hill
Hat pulled down to hide his eyes
Walking woman with glasses
Over the river

Final push up the hill
Deep useful breaths
Purple coat and three dogs
On the steps to the lane

Neighbours white wavy hair gleams
Whoosh of the boiler
Ticking of the metal radiator
Rasping of the wood pigeon

Horse hooves clip-clopping on the lane
Bare green-hued branches on a white-grey sky
Tittering tiny wings
Quivering tree ivy

Crows whizzing by
Dark reaching buddleia flower heads
Skeletal salvias shaking in the breeze
Telegraph poles and thick black cables

Imposing pyramidal lime green conifer
Planted out Christmas tree
Will you survive
Russet beech leaves

Football goal
Lawn worn bare by kicking boots
Brown leaves clinging to damp bent grass
Evergreen honeysuckle sprawling across the trellis

Wild willow
Wonky patio stones
Aubretia greening
Fallen metal shaking glass

Matt black military blades rumble low in the sky
Flurry of feathers
Soft pink pigeon breast
Yellow-beaked black bird scratches his eye

Bailero, Shepherd’s Song of Upper Auvergne, composed by Joseph Canteloube, sung by Madeleine Grey, recorded in February 1930. https://archive.org/details/CANTELOUBESongsOfTheAuvergne-NEWTRANSFER/02.BaileroshepherdsSongOfUpperAuvergne.mp3