Romantic Rocks: Poetry of a wandering geologist

By Martin Litherland

The author Martin Litherland writes these poems from thoughts, feelings and memories conjured up from his real-life experiences as a geologist.

Both rocks and local people form a romantic backdrop to Martin’s poems set in various remote parts of the world. Read of schoolboy inspiration in 'Coffee Smoke'; being alone in Scotland with 'That Russian Spy'; and the discovery of 'The Earliest Animal'. Follow him around the world in 'Places I know best'; and hear of his near-death encounters in 'Nine Lives', before he returns home to meet the Queen in 'OBE Poem'.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S & S P Publishing
• Release date: Mar 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310478154

Book preview

Romantic Rocks

Poetry of a wandering geologist

by

Martin Litherland

Romantic Rocks

Poetry of a wandering geologist

by Martin Litherland

Copyright © 2016 by Martin Litherland

Smashwords Edition

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgement

Many thanks to Sue Pennykid for her patience, hard work and dedication in producing this e-book.

Front cover: The author, in 1967, on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe during his PhD studies. Behind is the (green) Isle of Shuna, and the distant hills of Glenfinnan are in the background.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

LIST OF POEMS

Coffee smoke

In Donegal

Life at Toberkeen Croft

God’s Crofting Country

The Young Geologist

That five-pound note

My Dalradian of long ago

Folded rocks

The Earliest Animal

That Russian Spy

What’s your worth?

The Spirit of the Overseas Division

There’s rocks, there’s rocks

What’s in a name?

Pawns and King

OBE poem

Places I know best

Fish, big and small

Humble pie

Name in print

Nine lives

Make the best of it

A Home

About the author

Also written by Martin Litherland

Other titles published by S & S P Publishing

Children’s titles

Foreword

Martin Litherland, the writer of Poems from the Lost World and Inca Treasure: Poems from the Andes of Ecuador, now presents the story of his career in the form of 23 poems, a linking narrative, and many original photographs. Read of schoolboy inspiration in Coffee Smoke; his romantic attachment to beautiful rocks in The Young Geologist; being alone in Scotland with That Russian Spy; and the discovery of The Earliest Animal. Follow him around the world in Places I Know Best; and his near-death encounters in Nine Lives.

Romantic Rocks

Poetry of a wandering geologist

Introduction

These poems follow my career as a geologist, beginning with childhood inspirations followed by the great romance with the Dalradian rocks of Ireland and Scotland. After five years in the Kalahari, there were seven years in the Amazon (see Poems from the Lost World) and six years in the Andes (see Inca Treasure - Poems from the Andes of Ecuador), before returning to the UK.

This field career is explored in Places I Know Best, where I detail those parts of the world I know better than anyone else.