Made In Derbyshire by Helen Mort

Helen Mort, Derbyshire Poet Laureate 2013-15

Made in Derbyshire

Rarer than Blue John and ten times as bright,
wild as the rain over Burbage at night,

stronger than leather from Lennon’s at Stoney,
clear as Mam Tor when the sky thins slowly,

sweet as the tarts that Bakwell refines,
older than the spirits of Magpie Mine,

lively as summer: a first well-dressing,
the streets all ribboned, the sun’s blessing,

more eloquent than a poem could be…
I can’t make the hills, but these hills made me.

© Helen Mort, Derbyshire Poet Laureate 2013-15

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