Past ancient trees where once the King’s hunt rode, Low sunshine filters through to forest paths Here fat geese paddle still and royal swans glide, Around a lake man-made two centuries past. Through freshly fallen leaves, crisp underfoot, Scampering squirrels scatter from my dogs. Through leaves not churned yet into muddy ruts By cycles, turning bridle paths to bogs. Undaunted by such amateur pursuit Rats slink through undergrowth; the water moves. Their squirrel cousins watch us from the trees. Beneath them, tracks of wheels instead of hooves. . Two centuries hence, will this place still be here? And will mankind survive to hold it dear?
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Writing Wrinkles, and Random Ramblings 
Epping?
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Of course. Specifically Highams Park (the lake). Although I’m probably pushing it with the royal hunt bit. I suspect they went further out – at least to Chingford.
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Recognised it straightaway as Epping Forest
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Distinctive isn’t it? I think I would too… but then I’ve lived around this end of it since I was ten.
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I don’t know where you are, CAthy, but it looks very nice. A beautiful poem.
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It’s the urban end of Epping Forest where it reaches into the East London suburbs. Somehow the leaves feel browner and crunchier than anywhere else. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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Brilliant Cathy! xx, C
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Glad you liked it. It was so good to be back in the forest over the weekend I felt a poem coming on…
Up here in the fens, woodland is scarce, and Epping forest felt… old
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let’s hope it’s still there for centuries to come…
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But will we be? And if humans are still around, will they be able to go out to enjoy it? (You can tell I’ve been reading too much speculative fiction lately.)
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I guess no one knows, but that is certainly my hope…
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I didn’t know where you were from the pictures. The comments helped! LOL Great poem. Age old question as to what will be the same and what will be changed once we are gone. If it were in America, especially in the west, I would bet on change. In England, I couldn’t guess.
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Well it’s getting pretty crowded over here… Some ancient forests and National Parks are protected by law, so lets hope that continues, but residential Greater London is literally over the fence from much of Epping Forest.
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Society hasn’t found a solution for population growth, has it? Or for that matter wanting to get creative and build things. Once built, though, the ancient forests can’t be brought back.
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