Dawnings
The ground beneath
By Nicholas Hooper
The ground beneath so dark and damp
just below my desk and lamp.
It can’t be seen but I know it’s there
supporting me in my shed up here.
Creatures big and creatures small
underneath my floor they crawl:
spiders, slugs and slow worms eat
below my cosy, bed-warm feet.
And as I leave to make our tea
please let me think of creatures free.
Of earth and water food for all,
the bell of nature’s breakfast call.
—————
About Dawnings:
“Every morning at around 5am I get up and go down to my studio. After a short meditation I write down whatever is in my head, giving myself fifteen minutes to do so. Then moving over to the piano (or a more portable instrument like my Ukulele when I'm away), I improvise and record a piece of music inspired by whatever words I just wrote. It is a great way of keeping both my writing and my composing going and I call these small creations Dawnings. They are mostly unedited, like sketches, so that they keep that fresh feeling of an early morning discovery.”
— Nick Hooper