Poetry Friday 16

Two weeks ago, I mentioned Ted Hughes' Collected Poems for Children - and said I'd have to get it from the library. Well it arrived and I've been dipping in and out of it ever since. With August having been considerably cooler (and very much wetter) than July and it being September 1st today, I thought I'd offer you another Ted Hughes poem:

Hunting the Summer

The fleeing summer! The fleeing summer!
       I got up at dawn,
       In the still, frail dawn
To hunt her and heard the swift's quiver of arrows
       Rattle as she twisted fleeing
           Flying asleep.

The ghostly summer! The ghostly summer!
       Deep was the lane,
       The tarmac velvet,
Banks of cow-parsley brimmed night's creamy stillness,
       Gypsy fox-gloves slept eyes open,
               A field ghost lingered.

If you want to read the rest of this poem, you will have to track down a copy of the Collected Poems for Children.