Throughout human history, nature has been a profound source of artistic inspiration. In this series, we talk with artists whose work is inspired by, created in, or connected to the brilliant nature in the Nature Trust’s care.

For this special edition of our ongoing Art & Nature series, we would like to invite you, the reader, to try your own hand at expressing your natural inspiration – may we suggest poetry? Now that the weather is cooperating, it may be just the moment to venture out into nature (check our map if you’d like to discover a Nature Trust-protected land to visit!) with a pencil and paper and see what words come to you on the breeze.

We asked Sue Moxon, a Nature Trust legacy donor and poet, to share her experience and advice with creating nature-infused poetry.

You were brought up by your aunt, who was an artist, and you also volunteered for many years at the art gallery – so clearly art has been a through line in your own life. How has your own art been shaped by those connections?

My aunt’s joy of expressing visually her love of animals and flowers and landscapes moved me. Volunteering at the art gallery also reinforced the idea to really see and not merely look. I am grateful for this exposure as it enabled me to also see and wonder how exquisite nature is. I am too impatient to draw or paint. Instead I express myself using words.

What draws you to writing poetry? Are all of your poems inspired by nature? What is it about your connection with nature that evokes a poetic response?

I recorded my findings on paper and a friend happened to read a couple of my free verse poems and assured me that I should publish. Another friend typed them out for me. I showed my aunt the typed set of poems and asked her if she could illustrate some. That lead to the self-published “Rock Sea and Sky.” That was long ago, in 1998.

I continue to write so I will remember that particular moment in time, and for gifts for family and friends. I also wrote a memoir during my stay on the ocean, called “Between the Juan’s” 2003/2004, in which I addressed how I detest the practice of clearcutting. I also wrote a children’s story, “Through Periwinkle’s Eyes” addressing clearcutting.

A written tribute to nature, like a poem, feels very much aligned with a natural legacy, like a gift in a Will. What drew you to decide to include the Nature Trust in your Will?

I did try to publish the two manuscripts and received very encouraging feedback but also rejection. I went to Chapters and realized my efforts to publish my revulsion of clear cutting in a form of a biography or storytelling would not target enough people to make a difference. However, I then realized that leaving money to the Nature Trust as part of my estate would ensure some of the wilderness could indeed be saved, so I added a percentage gift in my Will to the Nature Trust.

Giving to the Nature Trust is my way of contributing to future generations, a place of calm and beauty. The natural world is so fragile and at risk of destruction. It is my belief that my contribution to the Nature Trust will enable wilderness and wildlife to be saved. This makes me feel very satisfied.

What can you tell us about the inspiration for The Dandelion Hill? What was the process for writing it?

I was down at Lands End in Eastern Passage and I was enchanted with the dandelions. It just inspired me to record my findings. ”Rock Sea and Sky” included nature poems through the seasons; it was timely. Later I wrote “Blackflies” – not every thing you experience in nature is positive!

The dandelion hill

Photo by Andréa Villiers on Unsplash

My hill is painted with brilliant yellow
Little round suns sprout all over
With help from reddish milky stems
This multitude of gold discs stand erect
All reach skyward to reach the sun.

When I return, my hill is pale green.
Gone are the yellow suns
Grey , dusty spaceships oscillate on the hill
Little transparent spheres, anxious to catapult
To that beckoning solar force overhead.

Now my hill is a celestial heaven
Dozens of wispy parachutes fill the air
Clusters of grey puffs are now in motion
Carried up on drafts of spring breezes
They start their journey toward that day star.

What advice do you have for others who want to write nature-inspired poetry?

Being in nature is healing, let alone healthy. It’s like opening up your soul to awe. You just need to discover the mystery of walking by the sea, discovering the first sprouts of spring or a hike through the winter woods. Then express that experience in your own words (or paint! or sing!).

Thank you to Sue for sharing her experience! She adds that “helping others to look, listen, smell and cherish the small details of our natural world enhances our life.”

We hope this helps encourage you to go out and find small details to cherish! And we would love to hear (and maybe publish!) what you create – we invite you to send your poem, along with any context about the nature that inspired it, to anna@nsnt.ca.