Description
‘A lyrical evocation of the senses.’ Magnus Magnusson
'Steven's language is rich in colour and unexpected images flow out of the everyday ... a feast for his readers.' Shetland Times
Kenneth Steven’s poetry provides a deep pool of inspiration for anyone who is concerned for the welfare of the natural environment. The pieces in this collection comprise the best-loved of his internationally appreciated wildlife and landscape poems.
Visual poet John Busby complements the text with a series of atmospheric and emotive illustrations.
At the 2006 Sony Radio Academy Awards, the UK's most prestigious radio accolades, Kenneth won the Gold Award for Radio Features for his BBC Radio 4 programme, A Requiem for St Kilda's.
EXTRACT
Brambles
A sky scudding overhead,
Huge and shaking with wind,
With the great restless searching of autumn.
The fields tawny, rustling like lions,
The hedgerows thick and dark with brambles.
I picked them – shiny, black, polished beads –
Till my hands were red and sore,
Till it was time to go and I knew
A whole year would whirl away
Before I came back there
Like a child, for brambles.
And why do I need this,
Why does it burn in me each September,
The yearning to go into the blow of the wind
To pick fruit till my fingers bleed?
Is it my grandfather and his before him
Still alive in my hands, somewhere,
Remembering autumn, remembering the beautiful pain
Of being alive?
© Kenneth Steven