The wind blew into Stromness from Hoy Sound
as if urging me to stay. From the deck,
I watched a gull hover over the ferry.
She’d twitch a feather here, a muscle there,
no exertion, no panic, as if suspended
in a mobile over the cradle of a fisherman’s child.
Instead of recalling my time at Skara Brae
or the Ring of Brodgar, I was hypnotized
by this bird’s deft demonstration of unthinking.
She swam in a relentless river of air
without plan or concern, unlike me—
checking clocks and worrying timetables.
As the boat coughed out into the roiling quicksilver
of the North Sea, I looked back at the stones
of Stromness and realized some part of me remained.
Click on this link to find more of Bartholomew Barker’s work on his website. Many thanks for permission to publish in The Orkney News
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“bird’s deft demonstration of unthinking.” – that’s a very good line.
I’ve just looked at the poetry on your website and ….you have a way with words, Mr Barker – you most definitely have a way with words. Serious – ‘How Full the Air’. And humorous – ‘Blame the Dogs’.
I have a photo of my husband, Mike, on a work trip to America standing under a sign which says, simply…”EAT HEAVY”
Aye, well……
Thank you for your kind words. I think “EAT HEAVY” is the national motto here.
And if you do….you will be!
Wonderful images here. I especially liked “relentless river of air”.