See the horses run.
Mares’-tails in a row.
Yurt No 1
a toy drum way below.

Del-skirt sponged with dew,
up the hill goes Timmer:
bright the early air,
grasses waft and shimmer.

Brand new SPFives.
High above the plains
he counts the hairs of horses
and sees the songs of cranes.

*****

John Gallas writes:

*’Timmer’ is often used in Mongolia as a short-name version of Timmerlane/ Tamerlane/ Tamburlaine – adds a little heroic element to fat-boy’s climb and specs. 

*SP5s – SP (with an H) means (according to Specsavers!) ‘Sphere’ and is a power-measure of a spec lens: and ‘the higher the number the stronger the lens’ – so Sp(h)5s are a power. I’ve cheated for the rhythm (with no ‘h’), but hopefully all will understand they were the specs!

This little poem is from a set of 10 formal pieces describing scenes from YURT life in Mongolia. I made books full of notes when travelling there years ago, and mined them for the whole set. They range from bike-generating electrics, a horse-riding tiny-tots’ ‘raid’, a new felt lining, and a wash-your-yurt product, to a quiet Winter camp, a visit from a People’s Painter, and a ‘moving house’ journey. The poems are intended to have no ‘meaning’ beyond what they are and say: something I’ve tried hard to do for the whole of ’10X10′.

’10X10′ is:  

1. 10 formal, 3-verse poems called ‘ffenstri’ (people-sketches/resurrections from Welsh gravestones)
2. ‘Southern Critters’: 10 not-real Aotearoa/NZ animals, made to look real. Spot the lies.
3. as set 1, but telling the sad tale of ‘Lawrence of Australia’.
4. ‘Wasted by Whitemen’: 10 awful colonial disasters: all true, fully researched. 4 prize-winners amongst the 10. 
5. YURTS as above. 
6. ‘The Persian Version’: my take on 10 medieval Persian poems, redone from a 1931 booklet by the Rev. H. Minkin.
7.  ‘It’s Your Sam’: as 1/3/5, 10 formal little poems dedicated to Samuel Beckett.
8.  ‘News from Niue’: 10 brief travel-poems from my favourite Pacific island.
9. ‘Luminosities’: little formal poems from literal ‘bright spots’ on my travels over the years.
10. ‘Episodes from the Cuban Revolutionary War’: 10 utterly objective poems from Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s writings: these intentionally a ‘bowing-out’ of the poet as him/herself an interesting person with interesting thoughts and feelings. Guevara’s unselfish eye is a lesson to all.

I try not to ‘explain’ the poems in ’10X10′ as they are truly an exercise in not-me writing: or, when there, using the ‘unselfish eye’. I’ve always preferred telling tales to parading my thoughts and emotions, except in ‘The Extasie’ (Carcanet) – which is the Big Download of personal Love. 

*****

John Gallas, Aotearoa/NZ poet, published mostly by Carcanet. Saxonship Poet (see www.saxonship.org), Fellow of the English Association, St Magnus Festival Orkney Poet, librettist, translator and biker. 2025 Midlands Writing Prize winner. Presently living in Markfield, Leicestershire. Website is www.johngallaspoetry.co.uk which has a featured Poem of the Month, complete book list, links and news.  

Photo: “_WIL0594.jpg” by Paul Williams www.IronAmmonitePhotography.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.