Rust

Rust

 

Unexplained,

the old shed stands

in the middle of nowhere,

surrounded by bog and marsh,

with swooping, twittering swallows,

and a snipe drumming in the distance.

 

The collapsing walls

present an array of earth tones,

a masterpiece of rust and corrosion.

Textured by decay,

the corrugations stripe their canvas

with colour and form,

composition perfected

by the exact positioning of nut and bolt,

and the irregular piercings

of ultimate decrepitude.

 

Within,

the wooden joists

are a man-trap for the unwary,

damply dissolving into green rot,

lit fleetingly by glimmerings of sky.

 

Take any piece, cut the metal free

from its surroundings,

a few inches square perhaps,

or a foot or two,

or three metres by four,

find fractal-fashioned patterns:

abstract art fit for a trendy gallery:

a far cry from snagged sheep’s wool,

the calling curlew

and the blowing rush.

 

Runner-up in Quantum Leap’s 5x5 Competition 2010

 

 

Done