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Somewhere North of Dordrecht
by Leonard M HawkesI could live there:
That green watery landscape
Of soft earth and cattle
With its rich sodden scent
Of lush, verdant polder;
Its traditional residents
Seeming somehow removed
From the hassle and hurry
Of the multi-rutted establishment.
Yes, I could live there:
In a dike house nestled close
Into its protective earth,
Its green door just steps below
The level of the road;
Its roof ridge, eye level
Approached from the front;
Its renovated back facing
The warm and sunny south.
And there would be fruit trees:
Apples and pears blooming in May,
Plums in late summer, maybe peaches,
And a tidy garden with mounded rows
(With no obligation to irrigate).
And the close deep ditches would be
Symmetrically lined with willows
Pollard willows, thickly stumped,
Round and twiggy at the top.
And daily I would eat
Old Kost juicy tender pot roast,
Fresh greens of the season,
And crumbly boiled potatoes,
Cooked all on the top of the stove,
And served with--that thin greasy sauce--
Why the Dutch with all their good taste
Could never make decent brown gravy,
Ill never know!
02/25/2006 Author's Note: A spring vision shattered with reality
Posted on 02/25/2006
Copyright © 2024 Leonard M Hawkes
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 02/26/06 at 04:30 AM Wherever north of Dordrecht is, this poem takes me there! From the "rich sodden scent" to the "thin greasy sauce", this scene is unique and inviting.. |
| Posted by Anne Engelen on 02/26/06 at 08:39 AM You gotta come a little south, we Belgians know how to make good gravy :) Nice read, it gave me the neighbourly Dutch feel! |
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