Helen Sellers lives in Upper Wharfedale, Yorkshire, where she enjoys the open space and natural beauty of the landscape. She studied French and lived in France for a year as a student. She still visits France frequently, particularly the Alpes Maritimes region. After teaching French for a number of years, Helen re-trained to teach Religious Education, where her interest in philosophy led her to major in the Philosophy of Religion. Helen has now retired from the world of education. Her poems have appeared in Pennine Platform, online and in a number of anthologies.
Above the massif of the Mercantour
in the Vallée des Merveilles, this blue
highlights neolithic rock engravings.
It drifts over villages échelles et perchés,
lifting buzzards, falcons, kestrels over
cols and cimes of crystalline rocks and limestone.
This blue travels along the Bévéra
and Roya, through steep gorges and valleys,
to reach its reflection in the sea of the Côte d’Azur.
This blue saw Victoria and the Princes,
the grands palais spread their wings and gardens
across the bays of Menton and Garavan.
Vital and sun-infused, this blue outshines
citrus, olives, palms and ochre villas;
this blue, this azur, names this place.
Helen Sellers 2025
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Poetry in this post: © Helen Sellers
Published with the permission of Helen Sellers