About a Sunset in April

I used to ride my motorbike to work and at certain times of year, when the sun was low in the sky, it could be blinding. Going uphill, alongside Hampstead Heath to the traffic lights at the top on evening I was struck by the intense light of the pale sun just below a cloud.

I have worked on this poem for some time, on an off, even though several of the lines came quickly and easily. Perhaps it shows. I'm  still not entirely happy with it. See what you think.

Sunset over Whitestone Pond

The silver sun of which I sing

Lingers around the day,

Peeping out from underneath

The April cloud -

The sudden grey

Spreading over the hill.

A diamond under a raven's wing

Blinding the rider's eyes,

Sparks its light over Hampstead Heath,

The darkening street

The corvid's beak,

To hold the heartbeat still.

And hearts are there to hold the sun,

The life that runs away.

Such fleeting moments catch the heart

And stay in memory.

 

                                (April 1994 -November 1999)

But if you prefer it, here is the earlier version

Sunset over Whitestone Pond

The silver sun of which I sing

Lingers around the day,

Peeping from underneath

The sudden grey,

The April cloud

Spreading over the hill.

A diamond

Under a raven's wing,

Blinding the traveller's eyes

It holds the heartbeat still.

(April 1994)

 

copyright © Virginia Purchon 1999

Page created on 20th November 1999

This page was last updated on 13 November 2006.