We were all captivated by the Northern Dune Tiger Beetle in the third creative writing workshop of our recent series. Project Officer Andrew gave us insight into the strange world of this rare and remarkable creature. There was plenty inspiration for writing, and some amazing poems were created. Here are four such poems from the night, written by Jude, Kimberley, Rosie and Eileen . . .
In the second of our Spring workshops, Project Manager Fiona introduced us to the fascinating life of the Sand Lizard. We explored the value of contrast, in the world and in creativity, and wrote in haiku and haibun forms to celebrate this gloriously contradictory creature. Enjoy these pieces by Eileen and Rosie . . .
Haiku by Eileen Windridge
A thicket covers
Greenly, thin, shy lizard.
Boldly, bright, he’s out
If I go seeking in the dunes by Eileen Windridge
If I go seeking in the dunes, will I see him? Who can know? Patient attention is the thing. Nothing wasted if I practice these: if all my mind’s resources pool together on this search, a sighting may be my reward; or maybe the mind’s imaginings as I peer with penetrating quietness; or just concentration on the search is all. The doing and the being are what counts, I think. A day on the dunes like this is calling me I think.
Whether I see you
Or no, you are there and so am I
Attending to you.
Whether I see you
Or no, you won’t know at all
That I am there too.
Knights in Green Armour by Rosie Woods
Not
fighters there, but gentle proud members of a fellowship of males. Hunt
they do, but only as they need, to breed and feed and strengthen. Ladies
in brown veiling, muted but serene, watch their darts and dances, and choose
wisely for their brood. But, like knights of Arthur’s Day, they grow
fewer. Rarely seen or heard but magnificent they be. Long may they
live here, be nurtured and protected, till numbers rise, and they are safe
again.
Armour
green and bright.
Proud lizard on their shielding
We bow down
before you.
During April and May I was privileged to be involved in three online workshops celebrating the creatures of the dunes through creative writing. In the first of these, Project Officer Andrew, led us into the world of the natterjack toad; the more we learned the more our hearts filled with toad-love! We responded by writing odes, which are poems of praise and appreciation. Here are some beautiful examples from participants Rosie and Eileen . . .
An Eyeful
of Toadiness by Rosie Woods
Stoic Toad,
miniature in size
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| https://www.dw.com/en/bringing-britains-endangered- wildlife-back-from-the-brink/a-47854943 |
Your
bulging eyes are home
To many
secrets.
Secrets of
the sands,
Of tiny
creatures,
Colours
blending with the earth
So close
and yet so far.
What
patience it takes
To make your profile.
I know so little, and am hungry
For so much
more.
Each time I
hear or see your presence,
In sandy
dune,
Rambling
run,
Climate
chosen burrow,
Your very
own Toad Hall,
I will
remember
That eye,
that song,
That
shambling but effective gait
And one day
I will visit,
And revere
you at home.
Eyes by Rosie Woods
Dreaming dreams
Through
those great, wide eyes,
I wonder
what the world looks like
From your
particular perspective.
How big are
you, I wonder
As you dart
from place to place.
Tiny to us,
yet huge to sand flies.
Cute in our
sight, danger in theirs.
 |
| Natterjack Eye - Alex Hyde https://naturebftb.co.uk/artwork/natterjack-eye-alex-hyde/ |
Those great
eyes
Gleam and
glisten
Calling me
forth
From dark
wondering.
Beautiful
they are
And mystic
too,
Hiding
sights this human cannot see.
Eyes powerful,
summoning.
To drown in
their depths would be bliss.
But not if
I were sand fly!
