Ring of Downs

Maryanne Grant Traylen is a writer who lives in southeast Kent, England, with the sea and Downs right on her doorstep. Her other publications include ‘Climbing Sea’, ‘Sure Line Poems’, ‘Sea Saw Sea and Twenty Stories.’ A scholar of the work of William Blake and C.G. Jung, Maryanne is the founding editor of the journals ‘Transitions’ and ‘Stella Maris’ and a book reviewer for local and national newspapers.

Walking17
INTRODUCTION19
THE STRAIGHT PATH25
Journey’s beginning26
Lenham27
Lenham lambs unafraid27
Holloway 28
Westwell to Eastwell30
THE SOUTH EASTERN ARC33
Wye34
Why?34
Jacob’s ladder34
Brabourne 35
Long Wood December35
Brabourne Downs38
Stowting41
The Tiger41
Postling42
Sun games 43
Lower Postling45
Postling and the lost camera48
Postling, the lost camera, Conrad and The Heart of Darkness52
Tolsford Hill and scarps58
Showerless at Tolsford58
Weather61
Summerhouse Hill64
Etchinghill Escarpment65
Existential Etchinghill 65
Etchinghill summit69
Etchinghill escape70
Arpinge Escarpment72
From Holywell to Arpinge heights72
Nodding to the numinous74
Dog’s tree76
Mandala me 77
Arpinge base: unhinged Arpinge79
Seabrook stream’s spring 82
Fog83

Folkestone Downs85
Peene Quarry86
Keen for Peene in November86
Cheriton Down88
Balancing 88
Castle Hill90
Sugar Loaf Hill91
Sugar Loaf Hill and King Arthur92
Blip on landscape94
Holywell95
Wingate Hill 96
Creteway Down, Dover Hill 97
The Warren 99
The Apron101
Edge place101
No broken hearts102
Why does the Warren water move?104
Trouble over104
Tempest 105
Washed and weathered107
Slithering pool 108

Sea saw sea110
Dog days 111
Dog slant112
Sure line114
Sea snippets115
Pinch and rise 116
Portal 117
Seafront son119
Storm blasted120
One evening 121
Harbour arm123
Goodbye ball 124

Dover126
Roll over to Dover126
Beyond Dover; Kingsdown Beach 127
THE NORTH EASTERN ARC129
Boughton Aluph130
Splitting point130
A round becomes whole130
The West is the best131
King’s Wood133
Reclining body133
Toward Canterbury 135
Julieberrie135
Bigbury Iron Age hillfort135
The Stour Valley, West Canterbury137
ELA VALLEYS141
Elham Valley142
Court at Denton, Elham East142
Barham Down143
Lydden Valley145
Grass dunes on down Downs145
Grass dunes 147
Cloud down149
Dunes and desert, searingly hot151
Man152
Rainbow towards Lydden154
Alkham Valley155
An Alkham April155
St Radigund’s Abbey156
St Radigund’s continued 159
Church Hougham162
Unicorns162
West Hougham: huffing out 162
New paths 163
Farthing Common and West Wood164
Our Father Who Art in Nature 164
Bluebell Woods 166
Pillars Woods, April 2017166
March 2018167
From Long Wood, near Brabourne 168
THE SAXON SHORELINE171
Edge place I172
Edge place II173
Rough Roughs 175
Through the zoo177
Ghosts 179
Un-straight-jacketed180
CONCLUSION183
BIBLIOGRAPHY185