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Silver Children

from Fish House Blues by Daniel Shaw

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about

I grew up with shorts with muddy knees in the ditches and fields of the Carey valley below our Somerton Suburb: you could walk to the end of the road and straight into the valley.

When the levels started to flood seriously again a few years back, they reinstated the dredging programme. This reminded me of the many eels we used to see wriggling back into the river after dredging. Watching an older boy catch an eel when fishing, he cut off its head and handed it to me. Fascinated, as the boy I was, I carried the head home and was startled when some reflex caused it to sink its jaws with needle-sharp teeth into my finger – I flung it across the garden into the flower bed.

lyrics

Dredging again, keeping halls free of mud
the sea smell of scoop reeds stacked
brings back the Cary river, where I grew chasing eels
between pith prisms piled and packed

Obsidian Skin, wraps gulping gills
round reflex jaw with Purple Blood
the dead head drops, with staring eyes
skinned knees cracking brown mud

Silent and secret sea, in forgotten breeding grounds
Swim the cold silver monsters
they dwell and dream in the depths
dreaming of the silver children
Swimming across streams to the stars

dreaming of the silver children
Swimming across streams to the stars

Dredging again: Seaweed Smell
Mud Flooded Kitchens and halls
Prisms of Pith piled
Scooped Reeds Stacked

brown mud knees And wriggling monsters
Flipping fins, gulping gills
Opinel knife: purple blood
Dead severed head With staring eyes
obsidian skin Wraps tiny teeth in reflex jaw

Silent and secret sea
forgotten breeding patch
giant cold silver monsters
dwell and dream in the depths
Dreaming of silver children
swimming across streams of the stars

credits

from Fish House Blues, released April 20, 2021
Harry Carpenter - Drums

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Daniel Shaw Glastonbury, UK

Daniel Shaw based in Glastonbury & S.W.area.
Past work includes performances with the poet Laureate, Simon Armitage; & performances in Europe, Tennessee, Kolkatta and the Uk.
Daniel has also performed and recorded with the The Aardvarks, double bass & Bass with Mossflower, The Minor Works Unit, Mr Keep Calm & The Cancelled Cheques, The Blackdown Bluebirds andThe Duncan Batey Trio. ... more

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