Lightly depressing

            the pedal I sink

                           the Mither Tap

through the pine-line

            on the near ridge

                           entering

the dip in the road:

            not the usual turn,

                           but serviceable and

leaving us time and to spare

            to throw up a volley

                           of gravel where

we park for a withershins

            circling of the new loch

                           and its lone golden-

eye, his fellows passing

            overhead like a host of

                           balloons he’s let go

and flying off over

            our house: there

                           before us,

constellating

            from wingbeat

                           to wingbeat

the changeable –

            that scattered grit

                           a council lorry

flings in our faces

            and the wiper as quickly

                           bats away.