`In the Wood` by Eileen Mathias, and Scenes from the Edge of Snowy Woods

In the Wood

Cold winter`s in the wood,

I saw him pass

Crinkling up fallen leaves

Along the grass.

Bleak winter`s in the wood,

The birds have flown

Leaving the naked trees

Shivering alone.

King Winter`s in the wood,

I saw him go

Crowned with a coronet

Of crystal snow.

By Eileen Mathias

Out on the woodland edge, at the foot of Stonechat Hill, trees changed to silver and white, after a night of snow.

Old Jenny`s tree, with wilding apples rosy red against the snow.

Up the lane, where once the stage coach heading for the London Road would go.

A solitary pony stands stock-still .......

...beneath the hill where gorse and silver birches grow.

An ash tree with snow covered keys.......

....and a weeping silver birch leans towards the ground.

The pony with a bumpy nose is often on her own. Maybe kicked as a foal, she has a bony lump which shows in her profile. On this snowy morning she was pleased to wander over for some company. Her neck beneath her mane felt warm, but icicles hung from ears, hair and eyelashes after a long night in the bitter cold.

I walked up into the gorse. She followed me and found some shelter in the deep natural `stables` that the dense bushes provide, watching me down the hill as I headed out for home.