Farndale Churchyard
photographed by Pam, my wife
We chanced upon a mighty crowd,
a radiant host of gathered grace
surrounding Farndale’s moorland church,
with sun anointing every face;
vibrant, whilst offering hoverflies
and bees their pollen to survive.
This multitude encircled too
memorial stones of local kin,
with dates when life began anew
for each of them: when welcomed in
to peace of heaven, and joy at last;
their earth-bound trials, dust of the past.
Amidst those dancing, golden blooms,
we sat and shared an earthly peace,
‘twixt west’ring sun and faint full moon
and softest sighing in the trees:
a daleside afternoon, sublime,
wherein eternity met time.
