It took someone I barely knew;
To give me the strength to look again into my
heart and find what I am made of;

The smell of trimmed hedgerows
sweet brambles that stick into my skin like
invisible tattoos
Warm air made tolerable with promise of a
cool breeze
Greens and browns of Robin's nests
Those cracked blue eggshells on the ground
The weathered grey stone walls
Trailing moss and small brown mice;
The red brick barrier'd field where I'd play
Watch the buzzards and red kites as they
hovered in the sky

The stolen blackberries;
Fresh and full of worms
Plump cherries leaving tell-tale pink-stained skin
Picked from an orchard at noon

I'm made of
Damson jam; sticky and dark with the stones
still intact;
Butterflies and frogs in jars,
Tadpoles, newts and spiders.

But I'm also made of darker parts

Away from the foxes and strange noises in the
night
Those same foxes I curl up around
And whisper my secrets to