Stone Axe Factory, Great Langdale

Vivien Ring

To run the scree – that slick of teetering stones –
is to take 
The 
Death 
Drop 
ride.
But pause
in free-fall 60 metres down
brace yourself
at the man-made mouth. Remember them.

I hold each stone as they did: the green-schist,
serpentine, olivine and jade.
Each with flowing fissures,
knapped and splintered,
flawed, faultless;
each holding the mountain's
thrum – and now, mine.
These were travelling stones. Placed.
Lincolnshire, Antrim, Kent. Gifts from
one people to another, gifts accepted as their right.

Now revealed, to be held in the light.

The Science

My numerous visits to the Neolithic stone axe 'factory' on the slopes of Pike O'Stickle (what a name!), Great Langdale, Cumbria, were the starting points for this poem. Greenstones, often with imperfections, were chosen for the implements, and they have been found across much of Northern Europe; like the blue-stones of Stonehenge, they have their own geological markers enabling a trace back to this particular site. Most seem to be unused; the view of archaeologists is that the aesthetic quality of green in the rock was important, mined from this hazardous site as ceremonial gifts for those of high status.

The Poet

Vivien Ring is a writer of poetry and literary fiction and has had poems published in on-line poetry magazines. She is a climber and 'journeyer' especially in wild places and often as solo expeditions. She has a keen interest in geology and in the interplay between place, rock, and human experience. She has worked across the UK in various roles as teacher, outdoor instructor, and counsellor supporting young people, adults, and families in difficult and/or distressing circumstances. She currently lives in Derbyshire, a county with all kinds of geological delights.

Next poem: Whalebone Vessel by Maddy Ando