Dawnings
watch your step
By Nicholas Hooper
slip-sliding down the path to the river
trees and bushes like a tunnel
there is mud and those stones
oh those stones – more like boulders really
so concentrate and place grippy soles carefully
you’ve slipped there before
but got away with just lost dignity
no bruises, no breaks
but next time… you may not be so lucky
so watch your step and you will find
the river
and the wood
and the field which slopes up
and you imagine horses
and knights jousting
and crowds cheering from the high banks
so breathing heavily you gain the stile
and look back down on a frieze of green and gold
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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