Initially aware of me watching
with camera in hand
my uncle scythed the meadow
beside the
his stance heroic
his movements measured
until his effort economised to find
a grace born of time and the familiar
the perfect rhythm
so that he moved almost imperceptibly
into that space where
man and tool embrace and became
out there in the field
a living grace I witnessed
aware of no-one
lost, gone
into the still centre of himself
so that I held my breath in eternity
knowing a shutter click
would have been an explosion.
Copyright Mark F Chaddock 2008
This is a poem I had struggled with for a number of years, unsuccesfully, unable to capture the special feeling of that day some thirty years ago. I am satisfied with this version. It will appear in my forthcoming book of poetry, 'The Ordinary Miracle', due out this year.
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