Milton Part One: Dreams & Memories
from the lapping bow
of a drifting boat
before the sun goes down
behind the brow of Dumbuck Hill
rowing across Dunbowie Loch
known to some as White’s Dam
designed to turn the timber wheel
of the calico printing mill
now a ruined gothic tower
where laughing jackdaws nest
a stone’s throw from the pink house
with its porch and pediment and flight of steps
walking home rod in hand
down rhododendron walks
beneath the tall trees of the glen
whose trunks still bear the initials
expanding in the bark with age
of lonely and love-sick soldiers
billeted here in World War One
watching the tugs and tankers pass
far below on the River Clyde
as they slowly make their way
to Bowling and beyond
and hearing the melancholy foghorns blast
when the valley is wrapped in smog
while we in our superior world
enjoy the rays of winter sun
like passengers in a plane
in heavens blue over cloud
skating early on virgin ice like glass
without a scratch or powder of snow
before the news reaches the village
and the loch bears the weight of a crowd
seeing old McGarry swing his scythe
through the high daisies and long summer grass
observing him pause to sharpen his blade
on the slope where six months past
we had dived on a sledge at break-neck speed
picking wild strawberries in the brambles
beside the path that runs near the burn
or guddling for small fish
with bare hands under boulders
wading across in our wellington boots
feeding the fantail pigeons with grain
by the wooden summer house
and the statue of Cupid
a chubby boy with nothing on
who carries in his hand a bunch of grapes
collecting frog spawn with a milk bottle
from the shallow pool near the piggery
so that tadpoles can share the tank in the nursery
with goldfish and cannibal newts
riding Ginger the fat gypsy pony
who trod on Miss Meedwell’s toe
trotting lazily up the road
and cantering back to graze in the paddock
approaching the Crags by the tinkers’ encampment
and the fields of Middleton Farm
to the reservoirs ringed with lights in the black-out
as a decoy for the bombers bombing the docks
exploring the grounds of Overtoun Hospital
notices on the lawn requesting silence
to the lake with the Japanese pavilion
and the bridge that spans a deep ravine
playing with toy cowboys and Indians
in the sandpit beneath the almond tree
hunting at Easter for chocolate eggs
in the cracks of the rock garden wall
unpacking the tinsel and shining globes
preserved with great care year after year
for the adornment of a tall Christmas tree
placed in a barrel beside its own reflexion
lighting each candle with a glowing taper
till the room was bathed in a warm natural light
then my father would walk to the gramophone
and the hush would be broken by “Silent Night”
returning in dreams to visit the house
and passing the woodshed where the kittens were born
the front porch is locked and I open the back door
the rooms look larger and paintings lie on the floor
About this poem
This is about the place where I grew up before I ever revisited it, drawing on my memories and dreams.
Font size:
Written on March 15, 2015
Submitted by R.Boase on May 10, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:42 min read
- 46 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XXAB XXXBCXDX XXXEXFG HXXXIXXGJK HLXK XHXIX EXXFM JDXXX NCOM OLXX XXXX NXGX XOXX XXOA CPAP DXQQ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,939 |
Words | 541 |
Stanzas | 16 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 8, 7, 10, 4, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Translation
Find a translation for this poem in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Milton Part One: Dreams & Memories" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/129292/milton-part-one:-dreams-&-memories>.
Discuss the poem Milton Part One: Dreams & Memories with the community...
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In