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Slipstream Poem

 

Inspired by the  july 2007 Workshop led by

Susan skinner on ‘landscapes’

 

In this workshop we were asked to take the idea of landscape and use this to hopefully awaken our perception of image, thought, emotion and word. In this particular exercise we were asked to take the name of a wildflower from a selection offered and to use it as a word rather than a name to stretch into our mind and write a poem about what the name suggested.

 

Corncockle

 

The corncockle crept through the stubble-oh.

Sharpe beak pecked at the grains of corn,

red wattle wobbled, neck feathers shook,

russet, ochre, black and shining.

Oh the sheen of him, oh the shake of him,

the strut and the village-squire-pride of him.

toes up-picking, stalk legs prancing.

He inspected the stooks, tail feathers a-quiver,

cocked back his head and cock-a-doodle-

DOOOO-ed, he did. O-o-o-oh…

the corncockle crows and the corncockle clucks

and the corncockle struts through the stubble –oh.

 

 

Diana Mitchener

‘Corncockle’ is in fact the name of a wild flower.