La Sierra del Dragón

Published on by Laura Bloomsbury 
Perhaps it's true that this side of remembering
rose lighting shines through spectacles
but I recall few pinks amongst those sandstone steppes
purples yes -in the heather and iris gardens of Castile
and the grass is greener still 

we met with cuckoos travelling out of Africa
their two toned aria taken up by bird song
the sloped terrain a pastoral provenance of flock and herd
and buzzard, keen-eyed as sheepdogs and restless bulls
that sense an advent of the Guadarrama wolves 

underfoot herbs tumble in an aromatic haze
sweet floral sprays droop before sudden rains and a river
runs like quick silver with the Sierra Norte winds
there we rested under scrub oak and cork trees bent
in homage before the dragon range ascent

*wolves have returned to the Sierra Norte de Guadarrama – this mountain range once called La Sierra del Dragón

Written for DVerse ‘Take Me along‘ where Lilian asks for a travel poem that invites the reader.

24 thoughts on “La Sierra del Dragón”

  1. there we rested under scrub oak and cork trees bent
    in homage before the dragon range ascent

    Up above and on the ground things are brewing. It certainly is worthwhile to rest awhile before continuing with the ascent. Beautiful lines Laura!

    Hank

    1. Thanks Hank – just scaled a few scales on what was a drover’s route – no head for dragon heights!

    1. thank you -does not harm perhaps to see the world a light pinker than normal 😉

  4. love these gorgeous words, both visual & aural…”we met with cuckoos travelling out of Africa
    their two toned aria taken up by songbird refrain”…my favorite lines…

    1. thank you Sumana and a strong memory too – the calling birds and the accompanyng choristers

    1. nice commnent 😉 “Hmm, take me back again,
      Take me back one more time, Spanish rose”

    1. journeyed to a poetic place Mary ….
      “Was it you, Guadarrama, ancient friend
      mountains of white and grey
      mountains of my Madrid evenings,
      I saw there, brushed on the blue?”
      [‘Eres tú, Guadarrama, viejo, amigo – Antonio Machado]

  7. Absolutely gorgeous writing, the descriptions are so beautiful the reader feels the intense beauty of the landscape. Sigh. Very lovely to read.

  9. There is so much to love with this… when you visit a place like that and find those birds travelling through, the way you have used the Spanish words, I actually think it’s a glorious piece of writing.

    1. Lovely comment Björn – some of those birds heading on to England so it was like meeting halfway

  10. Reading this was so much like being there and breathing it in and being so glad I was alive to experience. Wonderful writing.

    1. so glad you were able to pick up the feeling of this place – thank you

Comments are closed.