The New Forest.
New Forest : old forest,
William of Normandy
rode here with his courtiers
nine hundred years ago
as wild boar and fallow deer
fled the huntsman's arrows.
Now the deer roam safely
running wild in dappled shade
and shafts of hazy sunlight
which force their way through canopies
of russet, gold and green.
Mossy banks and ferny hollows
lichen speckled ancient trees
signs of squirrels, foxes, badgers
scents of damp earth, dark and rich,
rotting leaves and new young fungus,
birdsong high up overhead
all intoxicate and charm.
Owls call: to wit? to woo! as woodpeckers drum along,
ponies in the clearings graze and shake their manes and tails
whinnying their welcome of a brand new day.