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In Praise
An Original Poem by JB. Stobbart
We undertake a pilgrimage
to a transcriber of the heart,
mile upon mile drags, then speeds by:
we stand in your cradle of worlds
where Henchard, Tess and Jude are born,
where woodlands are strength and real wealth:
and between an avenue of trees
and a late conservatory,
her narrow life, her shade of sorrow,
between a desk with four walls humming
and a view over the garden,
a thousand poems of love undone,
our syntax torn apart by tomorrows,
a powdered plume of long-legged moths:
at a time, at a point, in this space.
and little did I know, days busy with me,
that though poetry is the praise of life,
its pilgrimage can be the making of us:
our steps, the humming in that room,
walking the avenue of trees — yes, these
are Great Things set against our loss.
© JB. Stobbart - September 2020
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