Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the sixty-third poem in this series. Tonight’s piece is by novelist, short story author, poet and illustrator Sophie E Tallis. You can read my interview with Sophie here.
The Silver Chalice
A slip of silver,
A glint of light,
Dancing under ferns and shadows,
Flowing water bright.
I hear its murmur,
A passing whisper of times gone by,
Halcyon days of sunshine and meadow dew,
Music amongst the grasses high.
Nevermore will the magic fall
In darkling woods and hidden dells
As steel and concrete cover all,
Only my longing heart will tell…
…the wonders that were lost.
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(c) Sophie Tallis 2012.
I asked Sophie what prompted this piece and she said…
The inspiration behind ‘The Silver Chalice’ was based on a wonderful trip to my beloved Dartmoor and my own passion for nature and conservation work. So much of our natural landscape has been eroded away and is continually under threat from developers and the government alike. Growing up in a village, I remember the beautiful wood at the bottom of our road being utterly destroyed to make way for a handful of houses, even though there were brown field sites within the village that were crying out to be rejuvenated and developed, without the destruction of irreplaceable woodland and countless animal habitats. So much of our natural heritage is disappearing due almost entirely to bad decision making by local councils and the powers at be. But of course, once that landscape and ecosystem is gone, it’s gone forever. Yes thankfully we have designated national parks and reserves which are protected but the vast majority of our countryside is not protected, particularly our forests and woods. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to protect and preserve as many of these remaining places as possible before they are lost…
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Thank you, Sophie.
Sophie E Tallis is an author and illustrator and long-time devotee of the fantasy & sci-fi genre. Originally from a sleepy village north of Bristol, she currently lives in the Cotswolds with her family and her two enormous white wolves! She has a BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art and a Post-Grad in Teaching. She works as a full-time teacher and has been inspiring young children for the past 15 years. However, her first passion has always been for writing stories and poetry, which she has done since she was a child.
A painter and artist, she divides her time between writing, teaching and her artwork. She adores travelling when she gets the chance, and has a profound love of landscapes, particularly those of New Zealand and Dartmoor, which she finds very inspiring. She enjoys stargazing, playing chess, watching films, ‘world-building’ and buying yet more bookcases for her growing library! She describes herself as a lover of wild places and the written word and is a bit of a self-confessed nerd!
Her blog is www.sophieetallis.wordpress.com and her books are available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
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Morgen 'with an E' Bailey 
Many thanks Morgen, hugely appreciated!
I’ve been really sick recently so this is just the perk I needed, hope everyone enjoys it. Many thanks again sweetie! 😀 xx
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You’re very welcome, Sophie. Sorry to hear you’ve been well but glad this helped. Thank you for sending it to me.
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