I am currently writing an ode to the countryside
My name is Stephen Duck
(a name I share with another poet)
We are both from Wiltshire
I was born In Bedwyn
(my heaven on earth)
And the other Stephen was born in Charlton
His wife Mary rests in the churchyard
I am also married to a country maid named Capricorn(e)
She is the inspiration behind much of my poetry
Such is her innocence and natural beauty
Our cottage lies between the canal and the railway
It is very remote but seems quite busy
The noise of the trains and the wanderers passing
On the towpath shape our rural days
(especially during the long summer months)
I am currently engaged in repairing a fence damaged
By a cow estranged from a neighbouring meadow
My beautiful wife is copying my poems for printing
As my publisher is planning a visit
As soon as the cornfields ripen and glow