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Beach Ride
Beach Ride - Katrina Porteous
Beach Ride
(Throughout: sound recorded from horse galloping on sand; sea and birds)
As a prayer t’ the wund,
As the dew t’ the dawn,
As the day tae it’s end,
As the prick a the thorn;
As the bend a the tide, Spindrift,
As the fresh a the born, And the wind’s drum –
As the airt a the wund, Music, old
As the prick a the thorn; As wonder and longing;
As the fresh a the born, Fly, foam.
As the range a the sea, Flow, sea.
As the bend a the tide, Sweep, wind.
As the spuggie maa’n flee. Foam, flee.
Give the horses their heads now: (horse snorts) Fly, foam.
Let them fly, Flow, sea.
Foam flecks blown Sweep, wind.
From that first, lost sea; Foam, flee.
As the bend a the tide, Spindrift,
As the fresh a the born, And the wind’s drum –
As the airt a the wund, Music, old
As the prick a the thorn; As wonder and longing;
As the fresh a the born, Fly, foam.
As the range a the sea, Flow, sea.
As the bend a the tide, Sweep, wind.
As the spuggie maa’n flee. Foam, flee.
Waves, hooves, Lash, wind.
And a cave-fire story, Tear, mane.
River of sand Hoof, nostril,
Flowing under us, tell Flare, flame.
How they stream headlong, Fly, foam.
The minutes, the dear-ones, Flow, sea.
Love to its end, Sweep, wind.
Time to its stillness. Foam, flee.
unpublished Radio poem, first broadcast in Journeys, BBC Radio 4, National Poetry Day, 2001, © Katrina Porteous 2001, used by permission of the author.