Wild Moment: Gwennie Fraser

Northumberland National Park resident Gwennie Fraser shares her response to the recent felling of the Sycamore Gap tree (also known as the Robin Hood tree) and a heartfelt poem inspired by the incident.

"The loss of the Sycamore Gap tree certainly has been hugely and deeply felt here in Northumberland, but has also generated a huge amount of debate, enquiry and reflection, which is a good thing to arise out of something so senseless. I just hope the energy can be harnessed to engage more proactively with nature recovery and the care of wild places."

Sycamore Gap

THE tree of Northumberland.
Emblem, totem, icon, landmark.
Regional flag.
Arboreal angel.
Joy-giving; life-giving; meaning-making.
A reference point on the journey.
The ‘nearly home’ tree.
Shelter and shade giver.
A moment in countless lives.
A pause on the path.
A shape in the imagination.
A cup of belonging.
A cathedral of emptiness and form.
A canopy of stars.
Site of ceremony and vow sealing.
Guardian and witness.
The tree’s the star, not Kevin Costner.
Sandwich spot.
300 years flourishing in place.
Put-your-pack-down-and-rest-place.
Filigree in night ink.
Season bearer and storm outliver.
A bowl of aurora.
A beacon in the dark.
Meeting place and distance marker. 
Gatherer of memories and ashes. 
Shall I put on my waterproofs here?
A northern outpost.
A punctuation on the skyline.
Stability of presence in an uncertain world.
Cauldron of earth, light and time.
Let’s take a photo, never mind the weather.
An anchor in the dip.
A nest in The Wall. 
An offering to the heavens.
A friend on the horizon.
An outline in the mind.
A silhouette in the heart.
A symbol of what we’re losing.
A reminder of planet plunder.
A catalyst for grief.
A call to action. 
A gap the wind slips through.

© Gwennie Fraser 2023   

Photograph of the Sycamore Gap tree by Simon Fraser.

• Read another wild moment about migrating geese by Gwennie Fraser.
• Inspired to submit your own Wild Moment? Find out how here.