Alan Peat
Sit Tibi Terra Levis
We joke about being “top side” but, not so deep down, know that our levity is unwarranted. Beyond the vagaries of fashion, it’s our one constant—that’s what I’m thinking, right now as I think of you.
A game. Half a century ago. We start at the yew and fan out. The one who finds the oldest headstone wins.
Today. A book. Caesar’s De Bello Gallico. I am travelling through time again; happy for a moment in the here and then.
darting fish
silver hairs plucked
from a brush—
buds on a sapling
bulbs in the dirt
Note: The title is a Latin phrase that roughly translates to, “May the earth lie lightly on you.”
About the Author
Alan Peat’s honors include a Touchstone Award (2022), first place in the British Haiku Society’s 2024 tanka contest, and two honorable mentions in the Haiku Poets of North California’s haibun contest. A fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Historical Association, he writes books about art, history, and ceramics. and is the archivist for the British Haiku Society.