Swarthmoor, Easter 2016

                           We arrive, 
                           see the grey walls of the hall
                           unrelieved by the dappling of afternoon sun.
                           Later we walk down the garden, 
                           drawn by the evening light
                           and, suddenly,
                           a heavenly burst of purple,
                           rich, royal and reminiscent
                           of a saviour's walk,
                           a field of blazing crocuses
                           set amid stone walls
                           and yellow grass
                           summoning us toward
                           a hill
                          where shadows and glory 
                          mingle.

© Janet Henderson 2016

Swarthmoor Hall was the home of Margaret Fell and her husband, George Fox, the founder of the Society of Friends. It is now a Quaker retreat, visitor and conference centre situated near Ulverston in the Lake District www.swarthmoorhall.co.uk