August Heat is the title of an anonymous poem that I rather like. It describes exactly what I do when the weather is hot. It speaks of doing nothing other than sitting. Suits me!

August Heat

In August, when the days are hot,
I like to find a shady spot,
And hardly move a single bit—
And sit—
And sit—
And sit!

Anonymous

We may never know the name of the poet who wrote August Heat. It is a poem that (in my mind) I link with the great poem, Leisure by the Welsh poet W. H. Davies. Davies wrote this in 1911. 

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep and cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

W. H. Davies (1872-1940)

It is over a hundred years since W. H. Davies’s concerns about the increasing pressures of modern life inspired him to write his poem, Leisure. Losing the ability to be. The simple ability to “stand and stare”. 

He was aware of the rising demands of modernity (this is in 1911, don’t forget!), of modern life being so hectic that it robs us of the stillness and quiet, to “stand and stare” and notice nature. 

“We have no time to stand and stare.”

If it was a problem in 1911, when life was simpler than it is today, how much more important is it for us in the 21st century to find time to stand (or sit) and stare?

Influenced by both these poems August Heat by an anonymous poet and Leisure by W. H. Davies, I have written my own about sitting and standing and lying down! While staring.

Time to Sit and Stare

Time to get out there
And stand and stare
(or sit in a chair)
Go outside and breathe fresh air
You know you want to,
Go on. I dare!

There is time
To stand (or sit) and stare
Or lie down!—and look at the stars
(You can see the stars better if you lie down)
Or gaze at the moon
At the height of noon
See diamonds and stars a-glint on the sea
A leaf waving ‘hi!’
High up in a tree
Whatever you do
Go outside
and see.

“A leaf waving ‘hi!’
High up in a tree”

Stare at the hedgerows
The cows lowing deep
A running hare 
And the following sheep
A bird flying by
Way up in the sky
A young robin bathes in a babbling brook.
Well, if nothing else is, that’s worth a look!

“A young robin bathes in a babbling brook.
Well, if nothing else is, that’s worth a look!”

Go out and stare as far as your eye can see
The distant horizon
A sunset at sea
Or stare down on the ground
Where small wonders are found.

Lesley Scoble August 2022

“Or stare down on the ground
Where small wonders are found.”

The World is a Rectangle

Today, many of us look at life through a rectangle. Staring at the rectangle screen of a mobile phone, iPad, TV and computer (I know. My Kindle is also a rectangle!).
This lifestyle is alienating us from simply standing and staring (or sitting and staring!) at nature. The poem warns us that the frantic pace of contemporary life is harmful to the human spirit.

Don’t feel guilty about doing nothing. Doing nothing is good for our mental health!

Take time out and stand (or sit!) and stare.

Enjoy having a good stare!