Dunnottar Castle (Fortress IV)
by poetrydiary
The men who lived here turned to rock,
and fell into the sea.
It seemed a good idea at first,
to build above the surf;
A fortress hewn apart from land,
a playground for the gulls.
Security and peace for all,
he promised and they came.
The waves and cliffs kept out the foe,
and held apart the race.
But soon the greyness of the days,
the rhythm of the foam,
Ate into minds and into hearts,
and memories fell too.
Then women left, and no more came,
and coldly fell the rain.
The men who lived here turned to rock,
and fell into the sea.
© Matthew Rhodes 2011
poetry diary 
I hope there will be someone who takes these as a collection when you are done because they are special. Every one leaves me thinking: Ahhh…yes. They are special, Matthew. Have you come across Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk on the creative life? It’s worth listening to, but you will need a spare twenty minutes. She talks about that thing that takes us with some writing and imbues it with a special inspiration. Your castle poems have that quality. I feel the stone and the people.
Margo – thank you very much for the encouragement: you are helping me keep going at this theme. I will see if I can find Elizabeth’s talk this morning. I’d like to make a collection too.
Matthew