Guest Writer Spot

If you’d like to be included in this slot, please get in touch: estherchilton@gmail.com. Poems can be up to 60 lines and prose 2000 words. If you’d like to add a short bio and photo, then great. All I ask is that there’s nothing offensive.

My guest for this week is Eric Clarke, who I first met at The London Book Fair ten years ago. It feels like only yesterday! I’ve followed his blog and read lots of his wonderful poetry ever since. I hope you enjoy his latest work:

As Snow Fell

We didn’t see the view going west
up over the ridge from Amesbury
we knew Stonehenge was there
dusk had quickened as snow fell
our eyes peered, the red of tail lights
a Land Rover’s shape formed ahead

the yellow of our headlights searched
its wheel tracks, the space between
turbulent, thrown up slush, a myriad darts
of white assailed our windscreen, its wipers
swept hypnotic, our eyes blinked in sync
our focus to keep dim red lights viewed

how long we followed lost to memory
distance, all of seven, maybe eight miles
till snow gave way to sleet, till we lost sight
of red, tarmac stretched as open Plain narrowed
fell away to Winterbourne Stoke, the A303 holds
its secrets, it held us safe that evening

-

Author bio:

Eric was raised in Devon near its Somerset and Dorset borders close to the World Heritage Jurassic Coast. He has spent his adult life near the river Thames in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire working as a scientist at the boundary of the physical and life sciences. Now in his later years he finds himself writing poetry and prose, using words in place of molecules to explore life's boundaries.

His poems and flash fiction appear under the names Eric Daniel Clarke and E D Clarke in publications of the Marlow Writers' Society, and more widely in anthologies, magazines and online journals. His debut book 'Three to Eight' - a take on short poetry is a collection of poems made up of three to eight lines, written between the title's hours. The poems reflect on life, human relationships, chances taken, and those missed.

17 responses to “Guest Writer Spot”

  1. Hello Esther – good to be here – thank you – ten years since I’ve seen you – as you say, as if yesterday!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Eric. It’s great to have you here.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. It’s great that you had Eric here, Esther, nice for me to read his poetry.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Tim. Eric is a very talented poet.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Thank you for reading me here – all the best. Eric

      Liked by 2 people

  3. I just read this poem on Eric’s site. He’s a wonderful poet, and this snowy drive brought back some vivid memories. Well done. Thanks for sharing, Esther. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you. I really love his poetry too.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Its good to see you here, Diana at Esther’s place and at my place too – all the best. Eric

      Liked by 2 people

  4. Vividly beautiful!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Many thanks for the comment.

      Like

    2. Thank you, Dawn – I much appeaciate your comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. This is a very descriptive poem. Thanks for sharing. Esther 💞

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Robbie.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Thank you, Robbie – it amazes me sometimes how much detail can be recalled from an event that happened over 50 years ago.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. This is an intriguing poem. I like it, a lot. Thank you Eric and Esther!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m really glad you enjoyed Eric’s poem.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Thank you, Resa – glad you were intrigued and like this.

      Liked by 2 people

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