DOMINIC RIVRON
Scifi Sonnet 3
News from Pluto
Something's about to happen. I'm not sure what.
I've watched for long enough and, yes, I get
Impatient, as the months slip by. And yet
This is important in a way I'm not.
Earth, erratic, crosses the ecliptic;
By day, the sun's scarce bigger than a star:
It makes you realise just how small we are.
Will I get home? I must be realistic.
Gravity's low. Perhaps my bones grow thin.
I jog the corridors, try to keep fit,
But face the fact (there's no escaping it)
I have become this waiting game I'm in.
One day, it'll happen, I've no doubt.
Exactly when, I don't know. I'll find out.
Stone
Is it
a lintelstone
waiting for the door
to be opened
a hearthstone
waiting for the fire
to be set
a millstone
waiting for the wheat
to be harvested
a boundarystone
waiting for the land
to be disputed
a milestone
waiting for the road
to go somewhere
a gravestone
waiting for the settlers
to settle down
an altar stone
waiting for something
to be given
or just a stone,
waiting for the sun
to rise
and touch it?
Naming of Plants
(with apologies to Henry Reed)
Today we have naming of plants. Yesterday,
We had weeding. And tomorrow morning,
We shall have what to do after planting. But today,
Today we have naming of plants. Though gunfire
Can be heard coming from the television,
Today we have naming of plants.
This is Galium Aparine, which is also known as Goose Grass,
The preponderance of which will become clear to you, once in the garden.
This is Epilobium Angustifolium, known as Rosebay Willowherb.
At last, on TV, the firing has stopped and sirens
Can be heard. As for what's going on beyond the borders,
Who knows? We can but wonder.
This is Urtica Dioica, the removal of which can be
Unpleasant without gloves. And please do not let me
See anyone attempt it in a short-sleeved shirt. One can do it
Quite easily, so long as no flesh is exposed. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see them
(They are, surely, malevolent) until it's too late.
And this is Taraxacum Officinale. Its intention
Is to conquer the earth. All we can do is our best
To rid ourselves of it: we call this pulling up the Dandelions.
We do it in Spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
Men in uniforms can be seen running (on TV).
Someone said it was another kind of Spring.
And Spring is when the trouble starts: it is
Perfectly easy if you have strength in your fingers for the Goose Grass,
For the Willowherb, the Dandelions, and time to weed
(Which, in our case, we have not got). The guns
Remain silent. All will be well, perhaps, after all.
And today we have naming of plants.
Dominic Rivron was born in 1958. He lives in the North of England. He is a music teacher who composes music and writes poetry. He is a past winner of the Yorkshire Prize at the Ilkley Literature Festival and has had poetry published in Scratch Magazine, Pennine Platform and The Poetry Bus. These days he usually publishes his poetry online. Dominic's blog is here.
