I will crawl into
some uprooted tree
shelter in its shaggy cave
with a pallet of moss
to cushion my bones.

 And I will slowly moulder
lick salt from stone
water from bog-moss
eat larch cones, birch bark
till my flesh tans to leather
my eyes crystallise
my dreams join those
of the far off mountain.

Rachael Clyne lives in Glastonbury. Trees have always been a source of inspiration and comfort for her. Her work appears in various anthologies including: The Book of Love & Loss, Poems for a Liminal Age, The Very Best of 52/. Magazines include: Tears in the Fence, The Interpreter’s House and Domestic Cherry. This poem is from her collection Singing at the Bone Tree, winner of Indigo Dreams’ Geoff Stevens Memorial Prize. Photos by Rachael.