PoetryPix
depictions by the rule of thirds; descriptions mostly freestyle words
Fair Game
A Dorset lad, just fifteen years
Loads double-gun for squire’s shoot.
Father’s battle-line of beaters
Crash through brush in wild pursuit
Of partridge in their coven. Flushed
To flight on whirring wings, muted
By cannonade, the boy’s cry, stepping out
Half-blinded by the shot.
Notes:
My great-grandfather was double gunner for the Charborough Estate shoot, Bere Regis (double gunner is a shotgun loader able to ready and pass the loaded gun and take and reload the empty shotgun before the firing of 2 rounds). Obviously he survived the injury.
Illustration – Bere Regis church where he was baptised and worshipped. – artist John Everett
Just 44 words for the Quadrille prompt: Flush
20 Comments on “Fair Game”
My Garden Blog
Close call…
Beautifully weaved! 🙂
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an event that changed his life – and so mine!
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Oh, I’m sure…
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Nicely detailed event. I wasn’t sure how he was injured, but I am glad he survived.
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end line – half-blinded by the shot!
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Literally? Lost an eye?
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actually eye sight
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Half blinded? We need to know more! An interesting tale.
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yes it involves leaving Dorset eventally for Central London and finding love 2nd time around
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What a story, and so glad it did go well. Something in the way you tell the story made me think about “Out, out-” by Robert Frost… glad of a better ending.
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thanks for the reference to the Frost poem – in turn reminds me of what happened to Johnny Cash’s young brother
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The world of the wealthy hunter is a strange one. I’m glad he survived. (K)
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it was the social order of things then – and not far from it still
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Lovely piece Laura – this tragic (and probably typical) story. So like how you’ve captured the action – with the line break ‘Flushed / To flight on whirring wings…’ I’m guessing there’s more writing from this story to come? And wonderful painting.
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I’m not sure about any continuations Peter but thank you for your appreciation.
p.s. Had not known much about this Dorset artist til I wrote this – he became renowned as a seascape artist and I must go and see the artwork he left to the nation at Greenwich
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wow. this is action packed 44-word poem! and that’s a clever use of the word prompt.
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it was literally the first visualisation that emerged with the prompt so stuck with it
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ah! brilliant!
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A very descriptive story packed into 44 words and I especially like the the phrase….” Flushed
To flight on whirring wings”.
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thanks for the prompt Mish
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