Aldermoor Lane

There is a bend in the road

  where once a lane meandered

   between hedgerows, gently following 

    the curve of the land. And, (where now, 

      we wait for traffic lines to crawl onward)

        a gate quietly opened into a meadow 

          filled with life-giving cattle pasture,

           shared with dragonfly, dung beetle,

            planthoppers, woodlice, weevil, larva,

              foxtail, lady’s bedstraw and buttercup.

                There is a bend in the road

                 where generations rushed through

                  wrought iron factory gates clocking

                    in to build transportable life. Growing 

                      Snipes, Hawks, Pigs - access to pastures

                        new. Until, soft seeds blow into a brownfield

                           filling with ruderal herbs, scrub; habitat

                           beloved by bee, wasp, wagtail, slow

                        worm, common lizard, newt, orchid,

                    rodent, goldfinch, linnet and kestrel.

                                  There is a bend in the road

                           where boy racers test tyre-grip 

              accelerating over fresh tarmac. Where 

             cartwheels once jolted, we like smooth 

               traction as we await our familiar entry

                 alongside suburban imports. Where  

           pigeons breed under solar panels, and

          turdus urbanicus nests in white laurel,

    beside sparrow, starling, spaniel feeding

on mowed lawn, by a gently charging Leaf. 

©  Craig Muir 2021

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.

Previously published in http://www.placesofpoetry.org.uk/poem/100001485/

and Here Comes Everyone: Green Issue https://hcemagazine.com/product/the-green-issue/