Sam Lester is a member of The Forest of Avon Trust’s wellbeing course in Manor Woods Valley. She wrote this poem in March 2020, just as the country went into lockdown and the course was cut short.
A Special Place
Gently close your eyes and let your mind start to wonder…
Through the maze of all those competing thoughts; be patient, breath,
And it will come
That special place.
And then you can enter the woodland
Hazy at first but there it is, just as you remember it
The path down to that magical place
The buzz of expectant insects, the smell of the ripe earth
Each branch pointing the way, swaying, welcoming
Whilst new buds smile their sticky grins as you pass
And as you veer off the main path, it’s now that familiar track,
Small, less travelled, easily missed.
You can sense it now, just ahead…
The wood smoke signalling, weaving its way through the infant leaves
Colours invading as you reach the clearing, a million vibrant greens saluting the
new shoots rising
Hands wrapped round mugs of tea, the cracking fire lighting lost spirits
The hum of our forest community. Accepting. Restoring.
Hold these treasured moments, still. Let the birdsong remind us
Mother Nature is alive and well
The world is still turning, the woodland awake
The community embers glow strong.
The more than human world cannot and will not be locked down.
Spring is here.
by Sam Lester, 2020
manorwoodsvalley.org 