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Sunday 22 July 2012

Rain


RAIN - a poem by Simon Armitage
Be glad of these freshwater tears, each pearled droplet some salty old sea bullet airlifted out of the waves, then laundered and sieved, recast as a soft bead and returned......

This is one of several poems written by Simon Armitage, commissioned by the Ilkley Literature Festival and imove; one of many cultural events happening across the country in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games.
Each poem has been carved, by lettercarver Pip Hall, in natural rock at a different location along the Pennine Watershed (the highest part of the South Pennines) from Marsden to Ilkley, forming a trail known as the Stanza Stones Poetry Trail. It can be walked as a whole trail (47 miles) over three days or tackled in much shorter walks to visit each location.



I sought out this one (it seemed appropriate, after the weather we've been having!) high on the moors overlooking Littleborough - a wild area of upland peat bog, windswept and often bleak.  It was an exhilarating walk, on a day when the sun couldn't decide whether to declare itself or not.  This part of the Trail follows the Pennine Way, the oldest of England's long-distance footpaths, so there were several other people walking the path, but it still felt a solitary place to be, up there on top of the world with the kestrels and cottongrass.

9 comments:

  1. We often love what we have not, so i love rain, and I like this poem very much. I love the idea to engrave poetry in stones, and to follow a trail to read each part of it.I'd like to follow that trail!

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  2. What a great idea. Love the poem.

    Darryl and Ruth :)

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  3. What a wonderful idea. Now, how can we adapt and apply that idea here....?

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  4. Fabulous! It makes me want to walk there!

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  5. It seems that worldwide we're experiencing more rain than is welcome. (Though having said that I understand the USA is experiencing one of its worst droughts in fifty years). And as one of the world's driest continents I won't complain either. We've really enjoyed some sunshine in the past couple of days though.

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  6. Very unique. The second shot reminds me of the frog's mouth near Hathersage!

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  7. Some of Simon Armitage's poems can gently grip you by the shoulders and make you pay attention. 'RAIN' is one of them.

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  8. Fantastic shape! Erosion is a great artist. Love the poem written on the rock.

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