I hear there are monster perch in this river, Kelmscott

Kelmscott

Kelmscott Manor, in the village of the same name, was the home of artist and designer William Morris, and the river with its many small tributaries was the inspiration for many of Morris’s best-loved designs.

Kelmscott is a beautifully preserved, small rural village on the north bank of the River Thames in West Oxfordshire, close to the Gloucestershire border and about 2.5 miles east of Lechlade.

I hear there are monster perch in this river

Why did I wait years

for chub, dace, roach, bream?

Big river, waders on, water clear –

mashed pellet, wriggling bait, as here

and there I cast for a gleam

of something I waited for years…

Work, kids, maybe even fear

of this space, this standing still, this dream

of big river, water like years

flowing on, resistance, pull, and I hear

there are monster perch in this stream

So why did I wait years?

Take a look at Visit Heaven on Earth Beside the River Thames Blog post