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Victoria Shenton: Magical Vessels

  • 1 min read

In this beautiful short piece Victoria Shenton reflects on her walk in a wood and her encounter with small autumnal magics.

opened conker lying on the wet grass

I am in the new yet ancient woods. I see the tall trees I have seen so often yet today’s eyes present me with a contrasting picture to yesterday. My favourite tree stands before me like an old friend, swaying slightly in the gentle breeze, yet the leaves smile and chatter happily to me today, whereas yesterday, they cried. The shiny, chestnut conkers sparkle magnificently in the dappled autumn sunshine, peeping out from their safe, soft, silken purses, whereas yesterday all I had seen were the angry, bristling cages, imprisoning their victims in harsh, spiky cots. How wrong I had been! These gentle chestnut treasures had not been imprisoned, yet fiercely protected by these magical vessels, so brutal on the outside, yet so silken and warm within, cradling their treasure till it was ready to meet it’s new world.

Victoria has recently become a member of our latest Rotherham Flourish course.

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