...Beyond houses and history, into legend and myth, From stone and brick buildings, to moss & feathered heath With no reprise or concessions, into darkness now, Shot through with flashing light, changing doors, locks and keys Silver bark fingers, root planted feet, Light spine trunk, breathing life giver Close to the source beyond the earthly realms Landscapes forming though ruined castle walls, Aperture of soft fog light, Distilled grand rime machine, Surrendered spaces time lapse. Friends looking out onto a familiar scene From profane to sacred and back again Beneath the hills by the secret garden, Through the haze of the misty morning, The sun cuts through illuminating, And wakes me gently ruminating Through the woods, into the inner light Out of timeless shadows towards every dawn Temple of light in planted lines, Circular journey along the same straight path, The law of perplexing returns... |
In this stunning meditative piece of prose poetry, intertwined with beautiful black and white photographs, Matthew Shaw explores the relationship between self and space, effortlessly weaving profound explorations of nature, time, history, spirituality, myth and growth in his ode to the annual cycle of seasons.
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An extract from Atmosphere of Mona, along with an accompanying track written and performed by Matthew Shaw and Mark Fry, is available on the Caught by the River site.
Interview with Matthew, where he discusses Atmosphere of Mona and other creative works with Dr Mark Goulston, on the My Wakeup Call Podcast
Praise for Atmosphere of Mona
As I read this book, I was making little notes to myself, and came across a piece of paper on which I'd written... 'it consoles, sustains and restores.' Which indeed it does. It is indeed a masterwork - from the opening majestic image to the closing one. It's a great flow of words, slowing, gathering pace, surging - as nature does. It provokes thoughts and anxieties, yet there is such joy and tenderness, a balm, 'a doorway of hope', with 'nature more determined than tarmac.' It is personal and profound, written by a man whose eyes and senses miss very little; would that I could experience all that Matthew Shaw does in his epic 'Atmosphere of Mona.' - Shirley Collins, folk singer and author
He has turned to reveal but not reversed his language. Previously he spoke through a layered sound of landscape that moved through time. Horizontal drifting, entwining and layering cloud on earth, light on wind, weather as a pulse. Drawing out history as a surface without image, so that we might understand the flow through our listening hearts. That is what Matthew Shaw does in his music. What he is known for. Now he casts individual notes as words. Verticals which he gently demands we pause to taste; seeds, pathways, gateposts and lenses. These poems hold space and breath in a Haiku of moments; the drift of the music cupped, stopping us dead in our tracks. Now the flow and ebb, which he mastered before, watches the singularity of the moment. The stand still to breath in the actual moment. The primal zen of now. – Brian Catling, author
Matthew Shaw is a magnificent voice of the nature spirit as well as the human spirit. He combines beautiful feelings with clear thoughts. I am always inspired by the depth of his powerful poems – Satish Kumar, ecologist
Matthew Shaw channels reverse traditions into the future via music/word gnosis, landscape as character/life, and a connection to the heart that is as direct, and spontaneous, as it is unerringly true. - David Keenan, critic, musician and author
Atmosphere of Mona is like entering a poetic dreamscape. It is full of magic, nostalgia, and beauty. A truly memorable book that I will return to again and again over the years to come. - Amazon review
This is a beautiful meditative read. Matthew Shaw's Atmosphere of Mona takes you on an undulating journey through seasons, time and place. His soothing prose poetry calms and enlightens, a book to come back to again and again. - Amazon review
As I read this book, I was making little notes to myself, and came across a piece of paper on which I'd written... 'it consoles, sustains and restores.' Which indeed it does. It is indeed a masterwork - from the opening majestic image to the closing one. It's a great flow of words, slowing, gathering pace, surging - as nature does. It provokes thoughts and anxieties, yet there is such joy and tenderness, a balm, 'a doorway of hope', with 'nature more determined than tarmac.' It is personal and profound, written by a man whose eyes and senses miss very little; would that I could experience all that Matthew Shaw does in his epic 'Atmosphere of Mona.' - Shirley Collins, folk singer and author
He has turned to reveal but not reversed his language. Previously he spoke through a layered sound of landscape that moved through time. Horizontal drifting, entwining and layering cloud on earth, light on wind, weather as a pulse. Drawing out history as a surface without image, so that we might understand the flow through our listening hearts. That is what Matthew Shaw does in his music. What he is known for. Now he casts individual notes as words. Verticals which he gently demands we pause to taste; seeds, pathways, gateposts and lenses. These poems hold space and breath in a Haiku of moments; the drift of the music cupped, stopping us dead in our tracks. Now the flow and ebb, which he mastered before, watches the singularity of the moment. The stand still to breath in the actual moment. The primal zen of now. – Brian Catling, author
Matthew Shaw is a magnificent voice of the nature spirit as well as the human spirit. He combines beautiful feelings with clear thoughts. I am always inspired by the depth of his powerful poems – Satish Kumar, ecologist
Matthew Shaw channels reverse traditions into the future via music/word gnosis, landscape as character/life, and a connection to the heart that is as direct, and spontaneous, as it is unerringly true. - David Keenan, critic, musician and author
Atmosphere of Mona is like entering a poetic dreamscape. It is full of magic, nostalgia, and beauty. A truly memorable book that I will return to again and again over the years to come. - Amazon review
This is a beautiful meditative read. Matthew Shaw's Atmosphere of Mona takes you on an undulating journey through seasons, time and place. His soothing prose poetry calms and enlightens, a book to come back to again and again. - Amazon review
A beautiful audio version of Atmosphere of Mona, with a soundtrack by the author, is available here.
Also available from
Matthew Shaw is a Dorset based composer, musician, and artist who has been releasing music since 2000 under his own name & as Tex La Homa, as well as working on several collaborative projects. He has a love of nature, ancient sites and walking, often with a camera, notepad or recording device to hand. Some of these travels have resulted in the albums Lamorna, Venus Rosalia, Fowey and Lodge Hill, combining recordings on site with composition and photography. He has previously self-published three photography books of ancient sites in Britain, and two short volumes of poetry. His music explores the possibilities of the spaces between post-rock, drone music and soundscapes. Matthew recently worked with Shirley Collins on her new album Heart’s Ease combining landscape, folk song and field recording. For more about Matthew and his work, you can visit his personal site, and his Texlahoma site |