Virginia Evans

Virginia Evans

Virginia Evans

Sometimes four or five
sometimes twentyfive
suddenly they take off together
 
fluttering round and up
then looping and gliding
in higher and wider circles
synchronised
 
swirling and now gently
swinging in smaller
and smaller circle
to and fro
across the valley
settling in a tree or
onto the hillside
 
some staying other
wheeling back to the barn
where they sit in a row on the hill
of the triangle rooftop
 
Graceful white symbols of peace

Virginia Evans

Four o'clock
on a winter afternoon
Is jackdaw time of day
 
They fly over the church and
Over the woods
In sociable groups
Djaaking
 
Not raucously rawking like
argumentative rooks
Or crossly cawing like
Complaining crows
 
jackdaws just amiably gossiply
Djaaking.

We reached the top of the Torrs
on a grey and windy day
the sea near black the sky clouded
dark over Ilfracombe
 
We looked west to Lundy
and the sky cracked open
a pale line of light
lightening the sea in patches
 
And as we watched
the line of light thickened
and brightened
And as we watched
second by second
the colour of the sea mutated
gradually
near black to thick dark blue to
clear green blue
 
We looked up
and the strip of light was wide and shiny
bright above a line of clouds and
the sun was warm and
the wind subsided
We turned
and saw Ilfracombe bathed
in golden sunlight

Virginia Evans - Lee Copse

Mid-August and the summer flowers are fading
Replaced by seed heads hard and brown
Or floating fluffy shafts of down
 
Bees, butterflies and other insects
busy now after spring's late start
find other flowers
 
In the hedgerows dancing fuchsias dangle
and soft pink hemp agrimony
stands strong and tall
 
dreamy flaxen headed meadowsweet floats;
lacy hogweed and red campion linger...
In the meadows
 
knapweed and vetches still flourish
bunches of ragwort glow
and on the walls
 
stalwart Mexican daisies never stop
geraniums, some roses and the glorious
hanging baskets bloom on
 
high and mighty buddleia boasts its big
purple spears above banks of
fiery glowing montbretia
 
hydrangea's multi flowered heads have
suddenly dramatically opened
in beautiful bright
 
changing colours: from greenish white to
creamy yellow;
from shades of palest pink to lilac, purple,
deepest red and blue
 
Late August - summer's flowers are fading fast
early morning mists are creeping in
the scent of autumn's in the air

Virginia Evans- Lee Copse

Here Here Here Here Here
Singit singit singit singit
Chup chup chup chup chup
Me an you me an you me an you
Furlough furlough furlough furlough
Do-y-doo do-y-doo do-y-doo
wheelie wheelie wheelie wheelie
Churrily churrily churrily churrily
see see see see see see
Piu piu piu piu piu
do it do it do it do it
Whee whee whee whee
Choo it Choo it Choo it choo it
Tu tu tu tu tu tu
Meeuu meeuu meeuu meeuu
Ooeeooo ooeeeoo ooeeoo ooeeoo
singit singit singit singit!

Interpreted by Virginia Evans