Summer in England
IMAGINE a country gardenwith the hollyhocks and daisies highCattle hushed at drowsy afternoon,Skylarks arrow-swift against the summer sky.
The orchard beckons me from tasks that
should be done meadowsweet and gentian,
Apple trees patterned by the noonday sun.
Corn stacks at harvest time in neat and tidy lines
Little tea-shops tucked away in leafy winding lanes
Village schools and ancient inns tell of gentler times.
The country calls me once again whichever sphere
I roam, Sussex downs or Wiltshire hills
Devon thatch or Cornish cove,
The church bells ringing out
Tell me I am home.
Catherine Neale