When I see the sunrise,
or hear the birds sing at dawn,
when I feel mud on my hands,
and rucksack on my back,

when I sit around the campfire,
carving out a spoon,
when I share my thoughts with others,
and listen to their`s too,

when I feel exhausted,
but still contented at the same time,
when I smell the woodsmoke,
or taste the open air,

when I am in this wood,
the comfort I have found,
when I can laugh at my own mistakes,
the silly things I've done,

when I am in darkness,
of not to be afraid,
when I touch the earth,
the Badger knows it too,

when I handle water,
so careful not to spill,
when I am not hungry,
my knife is at my side,

when I write these words,
when I am alive.

A poem written by Annette Stickler
at Temple Hanger, Selborne - 1998