Poem of the month: Galena by Andrew Forster

This poem, with others in Andrew Forster's second collection Territory, is about the small mining village of Leadhills; galena is a natural form of lead, found in the area. It asks us to think about what is really valuable and precious about home, and what we're prepared to do for it.

We walk up Hunt Law, Peter and I.

My gaze is fixed on the late sun ahead.

I want to shrug off the weight of the day

to the rhythm of boots on the rock-strewn path.

Peter stops to prise a rock from earth.

Underneath, tiny spires of crystal glint,

an architect's dream of a city.

I hunker beside him. A moment ago

this was a rough, uneven track, but now

crimsons, pinks and jades sparkle in the dirt,

tiny jewels scattered on the arid hill.

He traces a vein of rust in a stone.

'Iron,' he says, 'but this is what it's all about.'

His arm sweeps the village below:

a street of terraced cottages struggling

to catch its breath, a few rows of patches houses

hanging on for dear life. 'Galena. Lead.'

His thumb smudges a band of black, shining

in the last light, so small you could easily miss it.

You can borrow Territory (Flambard Press Poetry, 7.50) from the Scottish Poetry Library, at 5 Crichton's Close, Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DT, which also lends by post. Telephone: [phone] E-mail [email protected] See www.spl.org.uk