Seeking Glory

Down at the river,

Four herons flapping

Towards Twizel Bridge.

Above the field,

Three ponies on the ridge

Waiting at the gate for feed.

At the river’s bend, my dog

And I scramble up the bank

Through dank smelling trees.

Top of the hill, we follow 

The path past Stotford Cottage

Towards a pink, evening sky.

Along the park’s high wall,

A curious wren flits and falters, 

Keeping us company. 

Further along I cheekily salute

The tree with the glum face

Etched into its grey bark.

Like a fortunate child

Enjoying nature’s glory,

I grin at the rising moon.    

Noel Hodgson

 Noel Hodgson was born in 1944. After a brief spell working on a farm at Howick, he was a PE teacher in Wooler for 35 years, and continued part-time in schools across north Northumberland until retirement in 2022. He has published four poetry collections (Below Flodden, Dancing Over Cheviot, A Grand Land, and his latest, Stovies On Monday), as well as an historical novel about the battle of Flodden (Herron’s Flight).