Place

When we left, we left it all:
the hazel, the spruce, the Scots pine, the aspen.

When we left we took it all:
the skyscapes and treescapes framing each season.

When we left, we left it all:
the bracken, the cabins, the pathways of water.

When we left we took it all:
the hollows, chill soil, ice-air and snowfall.

When we left, we left it all:
angular boulders with ashy thin grasses.

When we left we took it all:
scent of just-rained-on expanding the stonework.

When we left, we left it all:
pine martens, red deer, herons and osprey.

When we left we took it all:
broadening clouds blending with hillsides.

When we left, we left it all:
short-lived supple islands of shingle.

When we left we took it all:
the bend in the loch we can’t see beyond.

 Heidi Williamson, from Return by Minor Road (Bloodaxe, 2020)