Autumn is here!!

Walk in Autumn Woods.

Walking in the woods in autumn, on a bright evening. We are going on a circular route. In the rapidly dimming light, we miss our turning and lose our way. We found ourselves at the edge of the wood, beside a small country road. We decided not to leave the aroma of the woods, with the trees and flowers scents mingling. We decided to retrace our steps. The darkness brought a coolness; we pulled our clothes closer. We moved towards each other enjoying the warmth of the other one's body. A small hand grasped mine, I curled my hand around hers and thought how small it was, tiny bones like birds. We matched our steps and quickened our pace.

The gentle evening breeze was turning into a lively one. The leaves were fluttering, displaying the pale undersides. The leaves shed by the Whitebeam and Alder, rustled under our feet. We hear a Wren chirrup in alarm and flutters off into the safety of the higher darkness.

The distant trees start to become into dark and ghostly shapes; branches seem to be reaching out to catch us. We pass the 'leaning Crab Apple' tree, where we played as children,  feeling relief as it signals we are halfway home. Our feet picked up speed, the dried mud crunching underneath. The light of the moon is reflecting in the wetter mud puddles.

Quicker still now, not seeing where we were placing our feet, we stumble over concealed tree roots and over stones and pebbles. The noise from our feet and our heavy breathing frightens and distresses the unseen animals, who crash away alarming to more. Suddenly the quiet of the woodland is alive to panicking animals. That we have given offence to the animals causes us to ‘pull ourselves in’ minimising our bulk trying to be invisible in the night. We begin to jog as we see the wood edge emerging.

We collapse, breathless over the field gate. In front of us are the lights of home. Grey wood smoke swirls from the chimney pots. The distant sound of laughter and chatter drifting on the air as people leave the Red Lion. Well known sounds make us relax our breathing. Normality is returning to our lives, a feeling of reluctance to take ourselves back indoors sweeps over us. During this walk, we have experienced being part of the woods and Nature’s world.

 Based on the poem Walking in Autumn by Frances Horovitz, dedicated to Diana Lodge.