The large landslide that took place just a week ago on the border of Bonchurch has evoked great strong feelings of nostalgia for many Islanders and visitors.
Despite the evacuation of more than 20 properties on Sunday/Monday, News OnTheWight understands that all but three households have been given the all clear to return to their homes.
Memories of the Landslip woodland
However, it will a very long time before the general public will ever be able to walk through the woodland of The Landslip again.
Social media has been awash with old photographs and memories of happier times spent exploring or walking through the Landslip woodland.
Published poet
Blake Everitt is a published Isle of Wight poet who has written extensively about the Ventnor-area landscape and plantlife, especially the Downs and the Landslip and coast.
His work has previously appeared in a range of periodicals, including Plumwood Mountain: An Australian Journal of Ecopoetry and Ecopoetics, Open: A Journal of Arts and Letters, Pensive: A Global Journal of Spirituality and the Arts, Hawk and Whippoorwill, Harbinger Asylum, The Dawntreader, The Poetry Village, and Drawn to the Light Press.
Our thanks to Blake for sharing this latest poem, inspired by the events of the last week.
LANDSLIP by Blake Everitt
Let’s imagine the bright
scarlet biretta of petals
unshadowed at last,
the rustle of deep green
leafy transparency
fanned at the cave’s mouth,
the black knots of fallen trees,
shimmering olive hems of
unearthly oaks;
the evasions of clay and
each wondering pittance
of colour joined in silence
as leaves glow and we learn,
or so we hope, to love it forever
now forever is gone.
Our sincerest thoughts are with those unable to return to their homes. News OnTheWight will update readers when more information is available in the New Year about the situation with the Leeson Road hard closure/
