Autumn Walk

Afternoon walk towards Audlem

Climbing the stile to follow the smudged pencil line path
Of all the ramblers, amblers and dog walkers before me
With the scent of the newly cut field in the air
It's as June as a September day could be -
Not a breath to ruffle the flag of St James
Above, a buzzard cries and circles upwards
And all around, feasting for the trip ahead,
Swallows wheel and dart against the clear blue sky.
In the hedgerows, like jewels in the sun,
Blackberries offer their purple-fingered promise
Of fruit pies and jam to come.
Transported to another time, another place
To an age before life's race
I pause and feel that memory melt into today
For just one moment then back on my way.