Manicured ornate show gardens
To attract visitors, the goal
Flower beds neat and fancy
But the wild calls my soul
...
Awed by its architecture
I step inside
Gigantic Gothic arches
Rise on either side
...
I took a trip down memory lane
along the byways last September
Pointing out familiar places
and events I well remember
...
Bull frogs loudly croaking croaking
Amid pond lilies in the midday sun
A black swan displayed his annoyance
head held high strutting at everyone
...
Crossing a wooden bridge
To get to the wood beyond
I glimpse an otter diving
Just beside me in a pond
...
A circular fort on the brow of a hill
I walk back in time as I go in
Moss covers the exterior ditch
Ancient beeches flourish within
...
Their work dictated by the tides
Some days they picked at first light
Baskets strapped to their shoulders
...
I wish for them a curious mind
answers to questions they pose
I wish for them a love of nature
interest in all that grows
...
Come lie with me on warm grass awhile
Inhale the sweet clover, the scent of pure soil
Walk hand in hand beneath hawthorn trees
White petals floating by in a warm gentle breeze
...
I've known years and years of deepest pain
I've been forged in many a fire
Tempered like steel I now stand
The flames were high but I rose higher
...