This poem, by Joan Angus, was written after Chris Clarke’s woodland burial on 3rd May 2019. Chris was much loved by those who knew him and he was twice chair of GreenSpirit.

The full tribute website for Chris Clarke is at:
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We follow him in his coffin,
covered in a blanket of lilac,
pulled on a cart down the steep hill
to his place of burial in the shimmering woodland.
We gather round the grave.
He is lowered gently into his resting place
‘Earth to earth…dust to dust…’
Pipe music plays a lullaby.
Raindrops fall through the canopy of young green leaves
‘Earth my body, Water my blood,
Air my breath and Fire my spirit’
We throw handfuls of soil in farewell
and leave to the beat of a drum.
What will your spirit do, dear Friend, when we have left?
Will you dance with other spirits
in the woodland
for ever?
© Joan Angus
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Chris Clarke being laid to rest at the Sustainability Centre, Eat Meon.