Venturing into a New Field...
A journey into poetry begins
Welcome to a new field,
For a while now I have wanted to branch out into some poetry. My highest marks in English at school were for my poetry - it seemed to come naturally to me (but my aptitude with capital letters and punctuation - the bane of my English teachers life - now that is another story!). A few readers have also been kind to comment that I have a poetic style in my essays, so I guess the poet in me is trying to break forth in to verse and stanza - and I should probably let it.
And I will.
Essays will continue to be the bulk of my writing here on Over the Field, but from time to time1, I will publish Anthologies from the Field, sets of three poems, that will mostly be of the same broad theme. Anthology No. 1 which I am currently working on will be a set of Autumn poems - as today at least, the weather is certainly telling me Autumn has arrived.
In each Anthology, the first poem will be free for all. The subsequent poems will be behind a paywall for paid subscribers. This is important for me in this time of uncertainty as I navigate what is next post-university. Writing gives me something to do and a bit of income - so I am immensely grateful to all who have supported my work. Mindful of the fact that we are entering uncertain economic times and that many of my readers already pay for a number of other Substacks, I have endeavoured to keep my subscription fees low. But now - enough of that, let’s get to some poetry.
To start off my journey into poetry, I thought I would begin with a poem that defines my philosophy. For my long-time readers you will be aware my defining philosophical endeavour is to explore who is the Good Farmer, what defines him (or her), and what does he do? I think you will find in this first poem2 of mine - a theme setting poem if you like - a partial answer to this question.
I hope you enjoy it
Hadden
The Two Farmers
Standing ready with horse and plough,
the little old farmer whispers
softly to his land:
"This might hurt a little, but I'll try to be gentle."
Up high in his tractor -
music and AC blaring -
the man does not notice his land,
nor the scars he is leaving.
(Hadden Turner, Chelmsford, 2023)To complement this poem, here is my first and theme setting essay for the benefit of new subscribers.
The Good Farmer and His Limits
A Good Farmer is a steward of the land that has been entrusted to him. He knows it intimately and is thus keenly aware of its potential - and its limits. He knows what his land is capable of and works hard under the sun to ensure that it performs to the best of its ability - and remains able to do so in perpetuity. The very
Perhaps once a month
Poems in my anthologies will be of varying length and style
Really love this! Excited for your upcoming poetry! Every time I read your writing I get the urge to get outside and work on something on my land.
oooooft. loved this one