As we approach midsummer and longer hours of daylight, life can seem lighter, easier and warmer. Amidst the lushness of nature, all is green and growing. This Whirlow reflection ponders on how our Faith in the goodness of the world might be strengthened at this time.
One of the highlights of midsummer is the return of the swallows, swifts and martins. The martins love to make their homes in the eaves of houses. The following poem offers an invitation to meditate on these summer visitors. It was inspired by time spent on a farm next to Coniston Water in the Lake District – where the 70’s movie Swallows and Amazons was filmed.
As you read the first few verses, try to imagine standing on a terrace as evening falls: the lake, the crags and fells, the setting sun, the beautiful twilight – these little birds shooting over your head, in and out of their nests.
“Martins in the Eaves
This spitfire, barrel roll over our heads,
up to the eves, to the mud packed garrets
of Bank Ground Farm by Coniston Water.
This welter of bullet speeded, feathered
bodies sweeping through the twilit air,
plucking at the pillowed flotsam of flies.
This constancy of summer sorties streaming
into the gloaming, glimmering like soft
brushstrokes or light specks on stippled waters.
This night talk conducted in pebbledash domes
softening the oncoming dark with the
hushed chitters of their dusk-fall conferences.”
Sit with these words for a minute if you like: try to feel the silence; the atmosphere of summer; hold that sense of ease in your heart; let your breathing slow; feel the warmth on your skin; relax into the beauty of a summer evening.
As you read the second half of the poem, be aware of all the different sense memories bringing gratitude and awareness of the richness of midsummer. If a word or a line particularly resonates with you, stay with it for a moment – what makes it stand out for you?
“This bright- bird-bodied flight, haj makers,
southern pilgrims, coming to promulgate,
their next iteration of migrancy.
This richness of Martins, embodying
a resilient durability,
balsa frames speeding over continents.
This making of mud-gobbed speakeasies to
course out from, breasting the wind’s anxiety
with heartfuls of hazard into great skies.
This takeness we feel with their sleek speed,
our yearning dreams of forays into the
realms of our ancestral affinities.
This innate sympathy for feathered beauty
reminding us that once we were untamed,
arousing our urge to feel wild again.”
The last line of this poem speaks of an ‘urge to feel wild again’. What sense memories might the words ‘wild’ or ‘wildness’ evoke for you?
Have there been times when you experienced a sense of wildness in the natural world? Maybe a particular wild creature once captured your imagination? Spend some time imagining its form, shape, sight and sound. You might want to focus on this image whilst you do so.
Image by Dr Georg Wietschorke from Pixabay
Mary Oliver, the great nature poet from the USA says in her poem ‘The Wild Geese’:
“You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”
Spend a moment pondering on the meaning of this line – or if you have the time, you can watch a recording of Marina Oliver reading the whole poem here:
This blessing by the Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue, touches on similar themes of wonder, silence and gratitude for nature. You might want to recite it as a form of prayer, or simply read it and ponder silently:
“I arise today
In the name of Silence
Womb of the Word,
In the name of Stillness
Home of Belonging,
In the name of Solitude
Of the soul and the Earth.
I arise today
Blessed by all things,
Wings of breath,
Delight of eyes,
Wonder of whisper,
Intimacy of touch,
Eternity of soul,
Urgency of thought,
Miracle of health,
Embrace of God.
May I live this day
Compassionate of heart,
Clear of word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.
Amen”
Perhaps conclude this time of midsummer reflection by listening to The Deer’s Cry by Shaun Davey with soloist Rita Connolly and the City of Glasgow Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus