CENTURION LOOKING NORTH... (My poem inspired by Ann Cowan's artwork 'Looking North'...)

 Centurion Looking North…

(Inspired by Ann Cowan’s sketchbook artwork, ‘Looking North’…)

Eight men of a Contubernium and their Decanus

Had simply failed to return

From reconnaissance north of the wall,

Ambushed by wild Picts, guerrillas, indomitable savages,

Who had displayed the heads of the slain

Impaled upon wooden stakes, 

A warning of the violence, the ravages, 

The consequences of trespass 

And a wicked death with agonising pain… 

The Centurion stood at a milecastle and pondered

The fate of his legionaries and their Decanus,

Stood with his Optio upon Hadrian’s Wall.

Looking north there was no sign of the culpable savages,

Who had disappeared with the weapons of the slain

Into the harsh landscape of lochs and peaks.

The warning had been heeded, the ravages,

The consequences of trespass,

Though the thirst for retaliation would remain…

And he surveyed the unyielding rock faces,

Granite blocks, unwieldy strata, fissures of black.

A lake, a stream and wild, grey, evil places,

Inhospitable, impenetrable, no discernible track…

Reflections, a mirage, the remains of a dismantled fence,

A myriad shades of dun, slate and cream

Tormented the Centurion as he screamed his vengeance,

In the turmoil of his horrific, nightmarish dream…

Pete Ray…

The piece of artwork by Ann Cowan was ‘looking north’ and so I thought of a Centurion on Hadrian’s Wall looking north for a reason from one of the milecastles… 

I like to think it could have been me, having played the role of the Centurion Petronius Fortunatus for a number of years whilst teaching at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery…

EVENING: BURNHAM OVERY STAITHE... (My new poem inspired by a William Burns painting...)

 Evening: Burnham Overy Staithe…

(Inspired by a William Burns painting…)

I walked there recently, stepped across the parking-lot potholes 

Onto the exposed causeway, which like a long fractured limb

Leads in stretches across the tidal channels, past creeks of glorious slime,

Hearing the cries of squabbling redshanks, the wavering warbles of curlews

And the sharp piping of irritable oystercatchers, busy in the mire,

Whilst godwits dig their long bills into the soft mud at low-tide

And avocets’ silent black beaks swish from side to side in the shallows.

The elevated path eventually leads to sand dunes and the sea 

But the marshes were my true delight…

The painting features a row of vessels, like great egrets unsure of their roles

And their dotted reflections in the sublime blue sea contrast strongly with the grim,

Dark, grassy marshland, weathered and withered by tides and time. 

Yet the sky dominates the scene, like an explosion from a lit fuse,

A fury of cream rays, striped by shadowy charcoal evening clouds into a celestial fire.

The spectacular theatre over the small settlement, quiet and dignified

Rises like chaos as daylight fades and evening inevitably follows,

As the Staithe stands resolutely firm from the wiles of the sea,

Over the marshes, harsh and contrite…

Pete Ray…

17th March 2026…   

I really like Burnham Overy Staithe and this painting offers a different perspective…

Below are just a few of my photos of the settlement...

The thoughts of the independent source, The Sand Martin...

‘This stunning scene is a fascinating painting of sky and sea.

The sky here is the main feature occupying roughly two thirds of the picture and is a terrifying yet beautiful vision of the power of Mother Nature. 

We see the full force of a mighty storm that is about to break. Tremendous storm clouds gather high up and are painted in deep grey and blue tones. Although some areas of brightness and lighter blue are visible, the strong downward strokes of grey and the low grey clouds indicate that a storm is gathering and about to be unleashed. 

As the strokes fan out to either side from a central aspect, one can imagine an enormous Greek God on a chariot hurtling out of that sky.

The storm itself may be at some distance from the small boats moored in the lower third of the painting. Here they are in the safety offered by the water channel at some distance from the sea. Their white masts and paintwork draw attention and contrast with the blue of the water and dull brownish greens of the vegetation next to the water.

There is a very interesting contrast between these small boats safely moored in the calm of a channel and the tremendously powerful thundery sky. 

In this impressive painting one can see the safety of the calm water and the danger of a dynamic sky over the sea, as opposing forces are clearly expressed and beautifully painted…’

KNOWLE FC 0-1 GORNAL ATHLETIC: THE LINK TO 10 MINUTES OF VIDEO ACTION WITH FULL COMMENTARY...

 PLEASE CLICK ON THIS MESSAGE TO GO TO THE 10 MINUTES OF VIDEO ACTION WITH FULL COMMENTARY...

GEORGE SEELEY'S UPPER BACK HAS TAKEN A THUMPING...

THE KNOWLE DEFENCE MANAGED PRETTY WELL FOR THE HUGE CHUNK OF THE GAME PLAYED WITH A MAN SHORT...

THE REF ATTEMPTS TO COACH A FORWARD ROLL, WITH LITTLE SUCCESS...

WHEN YOU'RE HURT AND NOT MANY FOLKS ARE BOTHERED...

WHEN FLOYD WAS DISMISSED, THE OTHER PLAYERS RECOVERED FROM THE SCUFFLE BY GOING FOR A DRINK...

GORNAL 'KEEPER FRANCIS WATCHES FLOYD LEAVE THE FIELD...

ABOVE & BELOW: THE SCUFFLE...

"NO REF, I'M NOT TIME WASTING, JUST NEEDED A BREATHER..."

CLEAR ON GOAL IN THE OPENING MOMENTS, BARNES' SCUFFED SHOT TRICKLED WIDE & HE ENDED UP COLLIDING WITH TWO OPPONENTS... 

WHERE THE WINNING PENALTY WAS SCORED...

THE FACILITIES...

THE BODGING & THE PYDOG LIKE THE ROBINS NEST, THOUGH THEY THOUGHT THE GAME WAS REALLY POOR ENTERTAINMENT, WRECKED BY TWO RED CARDS FOR KNOWLE AND THE LACK OF OFFENSIVE AMBITION ON DISPLAY...

NEAT KNOWLE SUNSET...

STAGE LIGHTING... (My poem about the sky over Mounts Bay, Cornwall, December 2018...)

 Stage Lighting…

(Mousehole, December 2018…)

In the limelight, the isle sparkled

Like a floodlit theatrical stage,

Upon which Mousehole’s story would imminently unfold.

A chorus of gleaming, shrieking gulls

And dreaming, flaunting cormorants

Awaited the curious tale to be told.

A sea of harsh blue, grey and turquoise cold

Formed a stormy backdrop to the featured gold... 

And a rainbow exited from stage left,

Arcing the restless hues of Mount’s Bay,

Bending towards somewhere east of Marazion,

And anchored by a vibrant pillar some miles away... 

Pete Ray…

The sun highlighting St Clement’s Island off Mousehole, reminding me of a stage in a theatre.

The rainbow simply set the whole scene…

AUTUMN STREETS IN MIST... (My new poem inspired by Maria Wigge's painting...)

 Autumn Streets In Mist…

(Inspired by Maria Wigge’s art…)

A protective arm merely reassures the smaller figure

As two warmly dressed pedestrians, each becoming a dark, shadowy wraith  

In the saturation of autumn mist permeating a dream-like coldness and silence 

Of a Nordic street. Its gossamer murk renders tall buildings blue-grey and their rigour

Reaches to close the shimmering, ethereal gap ahead and in a breath  

It will engulf the trespassers and dissipate their unwanted and despised presence…

Pete Ray…

15th March 2026…  

Unreal, dreamy and yet, despite the gloomy and invasive mist, the central streak of surviving white offers a glimmer of hope…

The thoughts of independent source, The Sand Martin...

'My initial thought was admiration for the artist who produced such a clever painting using only shades and tones of blue with white. The detail achieved is quite remarkable as one perceives walls, windows and faint roof top ledges that may be fascia and soffits.

Central to the scene is a misty white stretching the full length of the picture to draw the eye from top to bottom. Together with the perspective of the buildings at either side one can distinguish a narrow path, maybe a roadway, along which two figures are walking. 

They are perhaps a man and a woman as one is tall and broad shouldered, the other smaller and more petite. Both are painted in blue and cleverly detailed against the adjacent blue building with their upper bodies and outlines painted more distinctly.

Is this simply a stunningly beautiful painting of a very misty day or does the bright light ahead signify more? Many people who have survived near death experiences have reported similar visions. 

The gentle nature of a heavy mist together with the icy cold blue colours hint both of danger

and also a quiet peace...'