PROMPTED PLAY | POETRY

Nature — Up Close

So close I felt it nip

I sensed my body tense As we moved towards the fence Spotting horses ahead She’ll be right, Boj said,

Was here last week To have a peek The horses were fine Not even a whine

Snuck in under the wire Potential land to admire Trusting and calm Tildy now on my arm

Little did I know We were in for a show

Stampede!

Well, it was in my head As the horses sped Towards us at full pelt Fear was certainly felt

Acceptance of the fact Left me deciding how to act Frozen to the spot Calm I was not

A deep breath in Stopping my mind spin Grounding thought A horse snorts

Now standing still What a thrill Boss mare Nose flare

Biggest horse I’ve ever seen Up close, with no screen Boj tries to distract But he’s not leaving the track

Blocking our way out I am trying not to shout I offer my hand to smell Giving a firm pat as well

My soft voice offers praise A stack of tree roots I gaze Taking slow steps back A nip on my foot the feedback

I perform weird dance moves The ground no longer fit for hooves Tildy safely back over the fence My exit could now commence

A chuckle and a smile Big hugs for a while Tildy takes a bite A biscuit now in sight

“Horsey this is mine.” Potential reason starts to shine A sweet treat she had stashed Eating completely unabashed

Boj (my partner) was working away for a few weeks in Boyup Brook, WA.

While visiting him, he was keen to show the girls and me a block of land he was sweet on. He has aspirations of living off-grid. Establishing a place for us to live while putting into practice the permaculture principals he has been studying.

Thinking it was something we would do after the kids finished school, but life, as we all know, has a way of presenting opportunities on its own timeline.

Anyways — back to the story. Billie was waiting in the car — feeling a bit zonked after being in and out of it all morning touring the town and surrounds.

Matilda was keen to explore.

I had no idea she had stashed a biscuit in her pocket at the time.

I may be way off here, but I believe the horses could smell the sugar she was hiding in her pocket and caused them to gallop towards us.

Or maybe it was the hint of fear I was omitting.

Who knows. Do horses smell sugar or fear more. The nature study still in progress.

Grateful we went unscathed-besides the nip of the foot.

What a welcome to the country!

I’ve had many close encounters with wildlife over the years — snakes, spiders, crocs and all, but this one felt the most intense. Sure it was because I was holding my daughter in my arms.

Matilda thought the whole thing was hilarious. Her stubborn nature confirmed once again — wondering what it would take for her to give up a biscuit.

Knowing next time, I will be at least checking her pockets before we get remotely close to any more animals we don’t know.

Actually- next time I won’t be so silly to follow Boj into a fenced property with my daughter in my arms!

I didn’t manage to grab a picture of the horse — it was the furthest thing on my mind — even after we were safe!

This piece inspired by prompts of play from

Desiree Driesenaar — I coloured a little out of the lines here and made it my child’s experience with nature.

Eli Snow — nature study — incomplete for sure, but still I believe it passes as a study of ?!

Lucy (the egg girl) — acceptance — acceptance or frozen in fear — I’m unsure which it was — but sticking with the acceptance my daughter had of the situation

An incredible encounter with nature I have to share is by Koko Wolfe

and…when messing around with pigs has dire consequences by James Knight

Thank you for reading

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