14 August 2026
The Woods reject the drought. Splendiferous
Their arcs of majesty rise tall and still
Quelling all noise and standing far from us
Who fight and bicker and become so ill
They have the confidence to grow and spread
Their leafy wings, their spinal tap of trunks
In spite of Ukraine’s hideously dead
Defiant of a world now mostly drunk
On apathy and laziness and dosh
The all for me-ness, me-time, me, me, me,
They spin their leafiness, defy the cosh
Their silver arms become much more than tree:
They are our harbingers of wild delight
Who in their silence tell us those who harm
Shall pay the price. And in our dawn’s true light
They save us, call us, bring us all to calm.
With lifelong gratitude to Nigel Fisher, Conservator of
Oxford Green Estate, who gives me the freedom to roam
The brilliant Chris Challis has captured the beauty
and essential stillness of Wytham Woods in this
stunning photograph. Green Space indeed and more.