This week’s task was to take the first sentence of any Hopkins poem and write my own poem about the arrival of Spring. Many of Hopkin’s poems such as ‘God’s Grandeur’ and ‘The Starlight Night’ are the same length, consisting of only two stanzas, and follow the rhyme pattern A B B A A B B A / C D C D C D. His poems experiment with language, specifically aural imagery and alliteration. These are all things that have influenced my poem.

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring —
Ice melts as cold nights perish and there are no more chills
I look to the sky as the birds dip and dance over daisies and daffodils
Bees buzz by my ears and I’m in love with their sting
Trees swoop and twirl, leaves tangle and swing
I run to the lake, a smile splashes on my face and my joy overfills
For Paradise is upon us and serotonin Spring instils
As I fly through these fields of yellow, my heart will sing

Clouds glide through my hair, weeds tickle my feet
I close my eyes as sparkling rays whisper in my ear
This burn on my skin of gold and richness is so sweet
Not a single drop of rain or grey cloud is near
As I stand here in this immensity of colours I am complete
Because Spring is among us; beauty is here