A Poem by Richard Downes

This poem, inspired partially by a meeting with Betsy, was written by Richard Downes. Richard is an emerging socially engaged activist poet, an Associate Artist with Disability Arts Online and Poet in Residence with Hornsey Town Hall Facebook Page, and facilitator of Poetry Meetings at the Highgate Society.

You can read more about Richard here, or follow him on Twitter.

Turbulent Waters
Thrash Down
Vibrate noise
On battered stone
Recording memories
Of hillside, placid home

Betsy Damon
Seventy Eight
Turned me on to water
On one day
From 10 til late
She talked of being someone’s daughter

Calming river
Flows long and broad
Stimulating feeling
Whatever is
Along life’s cord
Flowing into healing

Water body ratio
Seventy eight
That’s the true percentage
River meets
Its father late
Lineage fully represented

We are one
Along this course
Vibrating to a memory
Turbulent, calm
Flowing to the source
Then cloud
                  ,  then rain
                                  ., lake
                                          , river
                                                    , and sea