I wrote my poem Beyond the Ridge for Sadje’s What do you see # 227
Beyond the Ridge
Beyond the mighty, moonlit, misty ridge,
In the mystery of a woodpecker’s wood
on the parapet of the humpback bridge
A mad hatter stood.
His gaze surveyed the land.
Where was his palace?
And where was Alice?
He held a poem book in hand.
(‘Twas The Raven by Poe)
A coal-black bird flutters out to flee away in freedom fly,
Was it a rook?
No.
It was the raven.
Where did it go?
To join the others at Newhaven in the grey penumbral sky.
The mad hatter watched the birds in flight,
Flocks of rook, raven, jackdaw and crow.
He watched them fly away till out of sight.
He watched them go.
All was calm and still, on the humpback bridge,
A place for tranquil balm… and the midge.
The mad hatter cast his eyes
Where danced a show of fairy fireflies.
Amidst it all,
Sounds the ratchet natter of the natterjack call,
and the swish and hush of marsh grass sighs.
He glanced down at the languid stream
in gentle flow
Was it real or just a dream?
~
Lesley Scoble, March 2024
Listen to the ratchet natter of the natterjack call
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thank you as always, Sadje for your weekly image prompts.
Image credit: Darksouls 1@ Pixabay
My thanks to Archive resource for the audio of the call of the natterjack toad.
Lesley lives in the City of London Square Mile. An artist, actor and sculptor (her first ceramic sculpture won the V&A inspired by… Award). Scenic artist & book illustrator, playwright (her musical play, Rapscallion performed in inner city schools and theatre school); TV dancer; Animator and illustrator for TV production. Set up Pinecone Studios Ltd and IIMSI Ltd drama and filmmaking workshops in London – producing award-winning films made by children.
LesleyScoble.com 
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