Skirrid Hill

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The title here is an obvious aural pun on ‘father’, suggesting that there were still things left for the father and son left to do together. Things from the natural world, especially ‘Skirrid Hill’ itself is often referred to by female pronouns, creating the indication that nature and its strength are a female quality, whereas the male character is a weaker and more destructive force.

The line ‘they were told to walk, not to run’ is a comment on the emotional reserve often attributed to British people, particularly of the upper classes. Note on structure: notice how the last three poems have built up from triplets, to quatrains to quintains, almost like a slowing down or building up to the end. The models echo the horses in their high-heels, but are also likened to ‘curlews’ (a type of long-beaked bird)– an image which is later picked up when the women ‘flex the featherless wings / of their shoulders’.He takes what is there and makes it ripe for vital things to grow, perhaps, if we are to extend this metaphor, for things that can be exported and therefore increase the power of Wales. The only cleverness that I will credit this poem with is the way that it develops the paradox of ‘Last Act’. In this way, "Hedge School" convincingly and powerfully evokes the boy’s experience such that the reader vicariously shares in it.

The final quatrain is one of the few examples of full rhyme in the collection and is deployed as a reflection of the trite, insincere effect of the woman on his affections.The sexual encounter of ‘Marking Time’ is contrasted here by a far less intimate and enjoyable experience. In 2007 his play about Alun Lewis was broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and his first novel, Resistance, was published. The poet is reminding us that he is putting un-natural strain on the domesticated horse and the fort is placing un-natural demands on an otherwise unbroken landscape. Enjoy this leisurely stroll through the woods and around the hillside before it turns into a short, steep climb to the summit.