Derbyshire’s Olympic Milestone Poems - Olympic Milestone - Chesterfield, UK - Etched in Stone on Waymarking.com

The milestone marks the distance between the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire and the 2012 Olympic Park in London.

The milestone was erected as part of an Arts Derbyshire event to mark key points along the 2012 London Olympic Torch bearing route through Derbyshire.

"The stone was sourced from local quarries, and specifically chosen to match the local stone in each place. The face of each milestone is engraved with the name of the town or village, London 2012, and the distance in miles to the Olympic Park. Andy Oldfield from The Fringe Workshop, who is a local stone carver, was commissioned to design and carve the milestones.

Each milestone also has a few lines of poetry inscribed along the edges, making it part of a long poetry trail throughout the county. Matt Black, who was the Derbyshire Poet Laureate, wrote the poems.

The milestones were unveiled by Derbyshire Olympic Torchbearers in a "relay" on Sunday, 9 September 2012, to coincide with the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games, the final London 2012 event." link

This mile stone is next to the boundary wall of the famous Church of Saint Mary and All Saints which has a twisted spire. Each of the poems on the milestones reflect its locality and in this case contains a reference to the twisted spire, comparing it to the twisted flame of the Olympic torch.
   

for every eye,		each twisting flame,
a different spire		a different fire

The official explanation of this Chesterfield section of the the poem is as follows.

Chesterfield
"More obviously! The spire, immediately visible from the milestone, the Olympic flame, and the twisting flame as a visible echo of the twisted spire."

The complete poem is as follows...
"Derbyshire’s Olympic Milestone Poem                                          

(Left sides)		(right sides)
we are wild travellers,		no map but the sky,
on this island, four winds		our voyage begins
ghost wings rising		300 million years,
to light and flight		a dragonfly’s wait
we are believers		we’ll grow a good story
when corner land’s bare		from the dark air
for every eye,		each twisting flame,
a different spire		a different fire
we are young explorers		our forward rolls
like the open fields		like waterwheels
in Derwent-dark, time’s		where sea-lily feathers
fish-flash under moon		washed the lagoon
we are pioneers, eyes,		a thou, the Plough,
summit-seekers for sky		a story to steer by
road, river-bend, snail-		which way, which recipe
trail, or arrow of crow		will you follow?
we are wanderers, flotsam,		swirling actors
sticks in the stream		in an ancient scene
a few words can change		up the steps, yesterday
the one life we know		down them, tomorrow
at market, at theatre,		in the centre, together,
out shopping, all at sea		same ship, you and me

Matt Black, Derbyshire Poet Laureate 2011-2013" link

Address: Entrance to Church of Saint Mary and All Saints Church Way Chesterfield Derbyshire S40 1SB United Kingdom Website: [Web Link]

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