Skylark

Suddenly above the fields you’re pouring
Pure joy in a shower of bubbles,
Lacing the spring with the blue thread of summer.
You’re the warmth of the sun in a song.
You’re light spun to a fine filament;
Sun on a spider-thread –
That delicate.
You’re the lift and balance the soul feels,
The terrible, tremulous, uncertain thrill of it –
You’re all the music the heart needs,
Full of its sudden fall, silent fields.

from The Lost Music (Bloodaxe, 1996), © Katrina Porteous 1996, used by permission of the author and the publisher.

Featured in
Poetry Archive: Scotland
See the collection
Katrina Porteous was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, to parents from North East England, and grew up in County Durham, where she attended ...
Katrina Porteous in the Poetry Store

The free tracks you can enjoy in the Poetry Archive are a selection of a poet’s work. Our catalogue store includes many more recordings which you can download to your device.

Featured in the archive

Close