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Sunbathers
Posted: 14 August 2022
Word Count: 80
Summary: For the glorious challenge!
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Five lordly pheasants
line the hedgetop at dawn
wings wide in supplication
to the sun's rising
burnished in their brilliance;
white collars, red wattles
speckled waistcoat and dusty cloaks
tails falling into shadow.
On this day, men will come
with boys abeating in the wood
weekend gentlemen, their shotguns cocked
their chased silver glinting
wood stocks a pale imitation
of pheasant glory
barrels lock, piston, hornet
lead flies up speckling the sod
as ragged feather bundles
rain from the sky.
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Comments by other Members
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 michwo at 11:51 on 14 August 2022
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The nearest I've come to a grouse or pheasant is to disturb one on a walk over moorland so that it flew up to get away from me, so to see five of them sunbathing like this must be quite a privilege:
wings wide in supplication
to the sun's rising
burnished in their brilliance;
white collars, red wattles
speckled waistcoat and dusty cloaks
tails falling into shadow.
The pathos of the ending is extremely poignant.
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 crowspark at 12:05 on 14 August 2022
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Thank you Michael. I loved my journeys to and from work across Haughmond Hill (when I also saw the pheasants greeting the sun) and startle deer dashing across the road in ones and twos, or catch a glimpse of a stag through a gap in the trees.
A lady crashed her car into a deer when driving too fast past the ruins of Haughmond Abbey and demanded that all the deer be culled (originally some deer escaped from a boardering country estate and have been breeding wild ever since). In response I started a shortlived website "Friends of Haughmond Hill" to oppose any such culling. There was no cull, just lots of signs telling people to slow down! Not really down to me but at least I tried. :)
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 V`yonne at 13:43 on 14 August 2022
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burnished in their brilliance;
white collars, red wattles
speckled waistcoat and dusty cloaks
tails falling into shadow
is such a lovely description of the birds, Bill and falling into shadow suggests the sad ending
barrels lock, piston, hornet
lead flies up speckling the sod
as ragged feather bundles
rain from the sky.
which is heartbreaking. And that it is
weekend gentlemen, their shotguns cocked
their chased silver glinting
doing this -- a brilliant reference to the moneyed classes
wood stocks a pale imitation
of pheasant glory
wood stocks is reminiscent of woodcocks and of course later pheasants too. This is so well written and expansive of the prompt, Bill. Very good work (as ever)
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crowspark at 19:36 on 14 August 2022
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Thanks Oonah for reading and commenting, I very nearly didn't manage to write anything (it is so hot!) Glad I did.
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