Poem by Nathan Hamilton

Eyewear is very glad to welcome

Nathan Hamilton (pictured here). He recently studied in the UEA MA Creative Writing program - where I was very glad to have met him.

He is a very fine young poet.

His poem, below, is very welcome here, as well as being a fitting fin-d'ete offering.

South of France, 2005

Attempting distractions at roadsides,
As a journey sidetracks upward
Through mountains, I jot:
Pale pink and yellow houses
Tessellate above rusted earth,
Green vines, spice markets of soil.
Your thin hairline is recalled
In sparse fronds by the next peak.

Fields are more staved
Than those behind me,
Words more fresh – oublier;
The bark of plane trees impressionist;
Cypresses more defiant
Than the boughs of willows
Drooped with the low cello note
That feeds the earth.

Intermittent thumps of wind
In sails almost articulate.
Unpacked and garden wandering,I
'm busy with the blossom
Of white snails, the lumber
Of fat, ink-stain bees,
And note the chitter-chatter
Of cicadas, traded for traffic noise.

A slow handclap of shutters
Announces a storm.
Its curtain draws,
Darkening the valley's green.
A bruised sky
Detonates,
Cannot console.

poem by Nathan Hamilton

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