Maeve's Kitchen, remembering St Cuthbert's Way ...

I sat in the garden of Monkland, reading Raleigh's As you came from the Holy Land - 

Near me, upon the sun drenched lawn, lay Souky the cat, dreaming her silky dreams - 

White jets flew across the sky - 

Gracious plants adorned the garden - a wall was hidden by an arras of ivy - trees cast deep shadows - 

All around me was the vast city - 

I felt a precious hunger for the skyscapes I'd grown to love - 

Jay and Bridget were lunching with Italian cousins - 

I walked the streets of Clapton like a pilgrim - 

I saw shopkeepers with gentle brown eyes - a fountain sparkled in a pond - 

I sat in the courtyard of Maeve's Kitchen - 

Young women were whooping - their bearded boys wore sneakers -

I idled the late afternoon away, remembering the feel of wet sand upon my feet, the excited laughter of my companions - 

17.30

Saturday July 13 2015

Clapton

London