Poems for September

they spark a moment

      fireflies

then the deeper dark

deeper into the forest

and deeper still –

the silence

soothing me asleep

the hush

of the rain

leaf on the river

this moment

here now

the oystercatcher’s cry –

cold loneliness,

the far north

Clear Light, (Canongate: 2005)

The language is unobtrusive, almost plain. The effect is physical. Spence’s haiku pivot like the wind, catching your breath, raising goosebumps.