by Andrea Murphy
Before
When all we grew was corn and peace
When babes came plump and strong
And campfires blazed through bronze and stone
And the swallow rolled
And the corncrake yawped
The earth murmured her wish to nurture
And adore
But then
When hearts turned green with aeons passed
And barren souls forgot to breathe
When virtue fled and courage hid
And filth grew lewd and spewed and dripped its name
The naked earth drew in her mantle
And sank her shame in meadow-marsh
And glen
But after
When the fierce bright majesty burns again
When the golden crowns grow free and proud
And the swallow wheels
And the corncrake mewls
The thunder hazy in the backwash
Will bring promises of sweet-mown hay
And laughter
