The Courts in verse by poet-in-residence John Bond

Temple Borders at The Courts Garden, Holt, Wiltshire — The Temple Border at The Courts Garden

As poet-in-residence at The Courts Garden from 2018 to 2019, John Bond has been busy writing poems inspired by the garden and its staff, volunteers and visitors throughout the year. Click the links under each season category to discover some of John's poetry.

Of course a poet-in-residence would have a poetic job description. Here's John's take on the experience:

'A year in the life of a garden
Is what I would like it to be.
Observations and thoughts
Of a year at The Courts
Recorded in words by, yes, me!

I got the idea in November.
When I passed they were closing the gate.
I thought “visitors gone
Now they’re free to get on
With the jobs that have all had to wait.”

Now there’s time for reflection, debriefing,
What went well, what didn’t, no lack
Of opinions to hear,
And ideas for next year,
What to take out and what to put back.

It’s the secret life of the garden
I’d really like to explore:
What the public don’t see
Is what fascinates me
As much as the plants, maybe more!

The cutting, the sticking the pruning,
The sowing, the weeding, the crack,
The looking around,
The preparing the ground
For the moment the public come back.
It’s like taking an engine to pieces,
Or dismantling a house brick by brick.
Time to stand and to stare
And find out what goes where,
Till I find out just what makes it tick.'

- John Bond