Stephen’s poem “Corn Quake” focuses on an image captured near Toot Hill in Essex in August 2016. The image uses a technique called depth of field. This technique locks the cameras focus on one part of the image. With this “lock” on the camera moves to include other features in the image. The result is that these features are out of focus. Here the focus is locked on the farmhouse with the lens turned to capture the oak leaves too, but out of focus. I also did it the other way round! The blue sky and white clouds complement the green and yellow.
Corn Quake
The image cropped where Greenman watched,
another scarecrow for the birds,
his form festooned with acorn, oak,
the riteful steward of our food.
An alchemy, from grey dirt, gold,
rotation cleared that soil, long term,
of viruses, their cone-shape clones
joined worms, beak jays and cackle crows.
The corncrake gone, the scythe, bound sheaf,
baled out as windmill, stone-grind wheel,
the crop of image unrequired,
past story plot vacated now.
Against the grain, new husbandry,
cleared hedgerows, gleaning, greeting waves,
now rhythmic metachronic stretch,
as far as eye can see, groan barns.
© Stephen Kingsnorth 2020