in the meadow magenta
by Cynthia Hogue
(reading Robert Duncan in Haldon Forest)
bloom looks
like lupine from afar
but up close the small bell-
like flowers of wild hollyhock
the holy that forth
came that must
come mystery
of frond fern
gorse a magic
to which I
relate to
land of hillock and
bolder the grayer
sky and wood
the straight flat One
between them barred
by the bushy Scots pine
medicinal veridian of ever-
green which though
gossip rumor spell
or chance change us
is not changed
PHOTO: Meadow of foxgloves, a wildflower that abounds in Haldon Forest. The foxglove has medicinal uses but can also be toxic to humans and animals. Photo by Aniszewski, used by permission.
NOTE: Haldon Forest is located in the Haldon_Hills, Devon, England. Consisting of several different woods, Haldon Forest is situated between the towns of Chudleigh and Exminster in southwestern England. Belvedere Castle (also known as Lawrence Castle), stands on a high ridge overlooking the Exe Estuary and can be seen from a considerable distance. Built in 1788, the castle was restored in 1994 from near ruin by the Devon Historic Buildings Trust.
PHOTO: Aerial view of Belvedere Castle at Haldon Forest in Devon, United Kingdom. Photo by Jessica Dale, used by permission.
POETRY and PLACES 