Ghosts of the Dawn

GHOSTS OF THE DAWN

I stepped in the garden early, with watering can in hand
Heard horses stir in horse fields, shadowy cart clop down the Way
No ‘Now’ thing moved; all slept; it was the quiet of another time.
In the still dawn, the suburbs faded, and the concrete went away.

I watered outside ‘Everwas’ – saw houses dotted round
No wall-to-wall suburban belt – they were thin on the ground
No traffic broke the peace and quiet
No engine’s noisy din
Manor House Way returned again, and one could hear the wind.

I turned and saw the Manor House; the ponds and Elms beyond
While to my left, the stable block, and pightles – now long gone
My little ‘Everwas’ stood here, and a few villas too
But there was space, and trees, and fields –
Small-holdings, where things grew.

Forty Acres stretched away, all misty, up the rise
And riders hacked out two by two
And dogs ran by their side.

Too soon they faded from my view
As rose the new day’s sun
But in the early morning quiet –
Unbidden – they will come.

PJBG

25^th June 2022