A detail of the front cover of ‘The Bonniest Companie’. Art by Olivia Lomenech Gill

        A thousand-foot slog, then a cairn of old stones —
	hand-shifted labour,
	and much the same river, shining
					way below
	as the Romans came,  saw,
		and soon thought the better of.

	Too many mountains,  too many
				wanchancy tribes
	whose habits we wouldn’t much care for
	(but could probably match),
	too much grim north, too much faraway snow.

	Let’s bide here a moment, catching our breath
	and inhaling the sweet scent of whatever
			       whin-bush is flowering today

	and see for miles,  all the way hence
	to the lynx’s return, the re-established wolf’s. 

Taken from the collection ‘The Bonniest Companie’, published on 8 October by Picador. Available to preorder now in the Caught by the River shop.