Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, NEGLECTED WOODS, by MARGARET SACKVILLE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

NEGLECTED WOODS, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Neglected woods, all overgrown
Last Line: Green shelters to an errant soul!
Subject(s): Forests; Woods


Neglected woods, all overgrown,
Now, have you come into your own!—
Like children from an infant school,
Rush out wild fronds which know no rule:
Briars across the footpath spread,
Confuse my hesitating tread.
Stark Revolution here I see
Deriding man's weak mastery.—
I love you thus, rebellious Wood,
Though I lie prone where once I stood,
As we trap creatures, trapped, in turn,
By unsubdued, defiant fern.
Your trees are into tyrants grown;
I, a meek slave, salute your throne.
Should I offend, what doom might fall
On me, alone, amongst you all,
What execution dealt to me
By the rough justice of a Tree?—
Grant me your Freedom, Woods, and give
Me, in your shade, the right to live.
Surely, a Poet should fare well
As bird, within your citadel.
Scarring his untamed heart you'll find
Tracks, like your own, which turn and wind
Purposeless, all crissed and crossed
Clear at first then quickly lost.
Brambles, too, and elfin, queer
Mushroom growth do flourish there.
And leaves (ah, leaves!) the winds whirled down
Ere he could weave them in a crown—
Therefore, Woods, be kind, be kind
To a creature of like mind,
Grant, even as to a mouse or vole
Green shelters to an errant soul!





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