|
The chief singer of summer is the grass; it is the very voice of Earth, taking us into her confidence.
Mary Webb, 1881 –1927, novelist and poet of the Shropshire hills and chronicler of the natural world.
Diagnosed with Graves’ disease at twenty, Webb came to understand the restorative power of nature in a profoundly personal way. In her periods of illness and recovery, it was the fields and trees, the breeze and birdsong, that offered her solace, inspiration, and healing. For her, summer was a kind of medicine.
We’ve been thinking about that here at the Pharmacy, where midsummer brings both a blaze of sunshine and an invitation to slow down. Our coffee shop windows look out onto long, light-drenched days, the shelves are rich with seasonal reading, and poetry, as always, is ready to offer some calm, clarity, or comfort.
In this week’s newsletter, you’ll find a poetry prescription for days of heat-haze, reading recommendations to inspire rest and wonder, and a glimpse of the newly hung Painting the Poets collection in our Shropshire event space.
Whether you’re stretched out in the grass or sheltering indoors with a cool drink, we hope you’ll find something nourishing here.
Our subject line this week is taken from Tony Hoagland's, The Word. You can read a few lines of it below or read the full poem here.
''among your duties, pleasure
is a thing,
that also needs accomplishing
Do you remember?
that time and light are kinds
of love, and love
is no less practical
than a coffee grinder
or a safe spare tire?''
|
