The walk in Knockman Wood not only triggered a number of thoughts but also inspired the following poem.
Light Shines Through
in ancient woods of oak and birch
scents of wild garlic bluebells mingle
among cushions of mosses. A woodpecker
drums a background beat to birdsong
I feel the presence of past lives,
smell the charcoal burners,
see farmers drying corn in kilns, hear
ghostly kye grazing among the trees.
Young birch trees have white,
paper thin bark that curls and peels
to make perfect kindling for
fires in kilns and homestead hearths.
Light shines through these woods.
They encourage me to linger,
to share their past, listen to stories told
by ghosts, grasses, stones and trees.
Life's a Beach 