On Encountering Wild Ponies on Exmoor
a Golden Shovel after James Wright’s ‘A Blessing‘
By Emily Tee
We walk and walk. We climb. Suddenly
there among the trees are two ponies. I
wonder if they will run from us, or will realize
we mean no harm. We edge past them in that
awkward way, trying to disappear and wondering if
we are as curious to them as they are to us. I
notice how close they stand, how one has stepped
to keep us away from the other, protecting her out
of love. Here, in this woodland, the sounds of
creatures - the birds, the bugs, the ponies - bathe my
ears, as does the forest's own green song. My body,
my very being, trembles at some deep level I
cannot comprehend, beyond hearing, and would
it be wrong to speak of gods here, old gods, break
from modern ideas, connect to the deep past, tap into
the ancient lost part of our brains? I let that blossom.
Fear of Flying
a Golden Shovel after ‘Failing and Flying’ by Jack Gilbert
By Emily Tee
I stand on the precipice. I've calculated it all, the
risks, the air speed, wind direction. Gentleness
descends, a moment of zen before the leap. I'm in
the zone, I think. I'm ready. Breathe. Nature, her
wisdom evident, sends a surprise gust of wind, like
a final warning of danger. I'm caught, an antelope
facing down a lion, as I peer at the drop, standing
so still, listening to my rapid heartbeat rushing in
my ears. We all face such moments, challenging the
heart, testing us to our core. Today is a new dawn,
time to face the future, flying through fog and mist.
Emily Tee
Emily Tee, originally from Northern Ireland, is a poet living in the UK Midlands. Reflections on nature and society often feature in her work, which has appeared online and in print including in The Sunlight Press, Blue Heron Review, The Belfast Review, Poetry Scotland and The Wee
Sparrow Poetry Press’s “Hope” Anthology as well as recent anthologies by Yaffle Press, The Poetry Lighthouse and Black Bough. Emily volunteers with The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press and judges their ekphrastic challenges.
Photo credit: Annie Spratt
