When I dwelled in woodland

(Nimue)

Small my antlers, swift my hoofs

Tangled summer flowers in unkempt hair

Birdsong shimmering on my lips

Moss rolling, bark chewing exuberance

Raucous barking in the moonlight

With voice of doe or vixen

Rough, uncanny music.

Happy to leave, flitting unapologetic

Beyond the reach of responsibilities

And other people’s rules.

When I had antlers and belonged

Only to the leafy beech woods

Mine the bounty of windflower and bluebell

Crows my friends and owls too

Dawn and twilight my domain

In the spell of blackbird melodies

No need to explain myself

Living in wonder and beauty

A secret wanderer

At the edges of the world.

I’m currently doing a poetry course with Adam Horovitz. This came out of the first session following a prompt to imagine ourselves as something other than we are. I recently acquired a pair of antlers to wear at events, and these are the feelings that wearing them evoked in me. On the evening of the course, one of the deer can and shouted for a while near my home. they don’t do that very often, so it felt significant.