Stoneground

by Stephen Allen

The poems in this collection broadly reflect upon the relationship between humans, and other living things, and the rocks, water and air that are so vital for our individual and collective spirit. Most are set in a personal timeframe from childhood to the present, and some are timeless or contemplate the deep past. Much of the imagery draws on a close and visceral perception of the hills, forests, moors and rivers of the West Country, and the fells of Cumbia and the Peak District. Several draw on other places of personal significance, particularly Zambia and Hong Kong. The poems can all be taken at face value, though most have a metaphorical layer or two, or abstractions that are just out of sight of the obvious, for those who like to delve. In each section the poems are ordered with a rough chronology to lend the reader enough structure, though none of the pieces is dependent on that arrangement. The majority were written in 2021-23 and most have not been published previously. The author is a semi-retired doctor and clinical scientist who lives in Salisbury, Wiltshire.