When Field Work is Done

On By inaloveworldIn Poems, world

by Mike L. Utley

When field work is done and soil tells
A tale of fragrant earth in russet tones
When ground-mist hunkers in secluded dells
And eventide descends upon the swells
Of solemn and discordant distant bells

I follow god-beams west, these tired bones
Sun-gilded in the cool remains of day
As fields pass beside the cobblestones
And honey-hives a-swarm with buzzing drones
And cudding cow in pasture lows and moans

The neighbor’s barn, a faded sun-bleached gray
Leans sleepily as I approach the bend
Where cobblestones succumb to moistened clay
And farm cats mouse-hunt stealthily in hay
And foals and piglets gambol as they play

Ripe apple trees stretch roadward to suspend
Their fruits to all who amble past below
And conifers at orchard’s distant end
Stand sentry as if ready to defend
This past’ral scene from all who might offend

And I, as evening stars begin to glow
And insects tune their instruments and sing
Their night-song, wend my way beside the slow
And clam’rous brook that gleams not far below
As moon peeks through the pines and winks hello

And pausing, I can’t help remembering
The lonely hearth that waits at home, the still
And barren house, silent, unwelcoming
The empty bed, no candle beckoning
No one who waits upon my homecoming

I watch the moon as noisy waters rill
Then close my eyes and breathe in willow-air
And stand alone in darkling evening’s chill
And tell myself through iron force of will
To swallow yet again this bitter pill

Then turning back the way I came, I stare
Into the gloaming’s ever-deep’ning hue
As tired feet propel me through the glare
Of starlit tears that blind and shame, and there
In dim distance the fate I’m doomed to bear

I run as moonlit field comes into view
For nothing’s left but field work to do

(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

https://silentpariah.com

Photo by Josephina Kolpachnikof on Unsplash

16 thoughts on “When Field Work is Done”

  1. Pingback: “When Field Work is Done” published at Manuela Timofte’s blog In A Love World – Silent Pariah

  3. conifers stand ready to defend.. and yet nothing shields us from that inner pain and isolation. There are so many memorable lines in this poem. The saddest part of course, is the ending.. as I read it. I felt that sentiment so strongly, that work has become my daily escape from my own solitary existence. This is a brilliant poem, Mike.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Nigel. I was in Robert Frost mode here, writing about nature, but I can’t seem to escape this overarching theme of loneliness in whatever I write. It crept into this piece, inspired by living alone while working at the farm, knowing after a hard day’s toil there would be no one there at the house when I returned. Same with other periods when living on my own and attending college or tech school or working jobs. It would really get to me sometimes, I won’t lie, but after a while I came to accept my predicament. Humans are social creatures, and on a fundamental level we need others around us to feel whole. Social isolation–be it from deafness and introversion and depression/PTSD (as in my case) or for any other reason–affects us no matter how much we try to believe otherwise. I liked the contrast in this piece between tranquil pastoral nature and the turmoil of the narrator’s inner being. I’ve known that feeling standing beneath the moon, exhausted after a long day, knowing a dark, empty house awaits. Sometimes I almost couldn’t bear to go home anymore.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome, Mike. I know the feeling all too well. We are indeed social creatures, yet it feels like for some, isolation has been assigned. Perhaps it is temporary.. who knows? But I have accepted the way things are for now.
        It was a wonderful poem, Mike.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Kindest thanks, Liz. I was aware of Thomas Hardy but had never read him, so I just now visited his page over at The Poetry Foundation’s website and perused some of his poetry. Astounding stuff, and I really like the structure of many of his pieces. I’ll be reading more of his work, for sure. ☺️

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.