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  • Sanday Island
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Sanday Island

Ian Stephen

Expansive skies
as of Dutch-masters
but these are faster:
shifting light tones.

Sea colours assault
both shores and eyes.
A lot of angry white
breaking from brilliance.

Dry dykes could never
hold that water out
so grazings and furrows are
backspaced a field-fathom.

But lichened slabs,
cemented just high enough
to make muted roofs,
stay-put on built frames.

Gales ruffle skins
of sand and walls:
of cattle and dwellings
and pass over all.


Ian Stephen

from Varying States of Grace (Polygon, 1989)

Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

Tags:

Orkney Islands Scotland
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Ian Stephenb.1955

Ian Stephen is a writer, artist, storyteller and sailor.
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