Upheaval..

   I've just returned from a pretty hectic day of poetry reading and listening. It seems lately that my life is in constant upheaval. At one time I was organised ( or at least I tried to be) but lately I seem to rush from one event to another. I don't seem to have a timetable. Actually it's probably not a bad thing for at least I'm active and busy. Anyway I'm not going to talk about personal upheaval but more about geological upheaval . I have an interest in geology but no sound education on the subject. Lately I've taken to watching programmes on the forming of the Earth; from these I've gathered snippets of information that I don't necessarily remember correctly. Why only this week I watched a programme about the demise of dinosaurs...however at the same time I was looking at train timetables ( an example of my personal upheaval ) . From this programme I gathered ( rightly or wrongly) that a HUGE meteor or asteroid crashed into the earth with the force of 5 billion " Hiroshima's" ...5 BILLION ? Did I hear correctly ...did I remember correctly ? This led to the extinction of the dinosaurs after 10 million years of inhabiting the earth ! I can't imagine such huge figures ! However without this catastrophic event that mankind would not have existed. Well, this just blows the mind ! Then another programme informed me that the Lake District Fells were once the height of the Alps and only glaciation and erosion have brought them down to the size they are now ! Of course I might have got it all wrong...
   This doesn't however detract from my rather vague interest in the formation of our geography. I've always been an avid reader of maps. For me, maps are a whole book of information, absorbing me for hours. I sort of " enter" the map...exploring history, geography, archaeology, architecture, town planning, canal building, railway routes, reservoir construction, road building,drystone walling, the affects of glaciation, erosion,follies, monuments...the list goes on ..it's all there ...all you have to do is look. It's often with this looking and tracing routes I've walked ...or I'd like to walk that my 'timetable' for the day goes all to pot .
   Over the years I've written quite a few pieces about the formation of mountains  , islands, lakes etc so I've got two pieces of poetry this week that illustrate geological upheaval. I do hope you enjoy reading them....Kath
            Trotternish ( Isle of Skye)
         Twixt sky and sea there is no line
         Only a far off island does define
         The horizon at a distance.
         Misty shapes loom out of the sea-
         Mountains formed by volcanic eruptions,
         In a time not known to Man.
         But science has told us the tale
         Of Teutonic upheaval, shifting plates.
         Fire, ash, lava.
         Dark columns rising from the deep.
         Mountain tops smoothed by glaciers,
         Glens scoured out by mighty action,
         Moraine blocked corries, isolated in splendour.
 

  Photo is of Scafell in the Lake District..
             Goatfell ( Isle of Arran)
         Mirrored sides facing south, gathering the sunlight.
         Rugged peak stretching to the sky- touching clouds.
         Stark gray slabs set on sideways- pyramid like...
         Inviting, but daunting. Head in the mist,
         Feet in the peat moor.
         Majestic peak , scarred from apocalyptic upheaval.
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