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Fencepost
Set upon our raucous schemes in bitterness and discontent
We
stand shamed and humbled by the quiet calm you represent
Fertile earth clings tight about you, thwarting all attempts to flee
Honest rock and loam embrace you, rooted firm as any tree.
Kin
to all your serried neighbours, frozen in your frozen scene
Wired
as any college campus, dull as any college dean.
Once you may
have dared ambition, seen yourself in pride of place
Carved in
monumental beauty, proud of bearing, fair of face
Perilous are
such romances, gamble with them if you must.
Crushed by weight of
expectation, dreams too often turn to dust.
Best by far this
noble calling, anchored in the here and now.
Perch for any owl and
buzzard, scratching post for horse and cow.
Drying rack for
bugs and beasts and spiders' eggs when freshly laid
Friend to every
farm and forest, sound investment, soundly made
Rest then in
inglorious slumber, trusted servant, quiet friend.
Time is firmly
in your favour; you'll out-live us in the end
Copyright Allan Bantick April 2018