Written during my year as writer-in-residence for Forestry England
The Fern Ticket I
*In the Forest of Dean, to have had your first amourous experience in the forest was to get your ‘fern ticket’
A taboo so sweet
A myth so endearing
A lover’s retreat
A comfortable clearing
Where prying eyes need not inquire
Far from the church spire
Here where only nature intrudes
And lover’s do the things they do
Within the folds of thick forest
Beneath the branches where birds and bees nest
They share together nature’s delight
With woodland cover and sunlight
In rhythm with rain, in motion with moon
To give and take, to enjoy the bloom
To dance for days and to love with it
Come with amour, here lies the fern ticket
Leave a Reply