Returning after a weekend away I spot a shaggy ink cap proud beneath the chestnut as I pull round the bend into the park and I must stop here, there is an urgency as I see this fragile perfect thing, so starkly drawn, I know the temptation to kick will be too much for a few of my neighbours and so I must go say hello before the inevitable happens, the lovely shimmying head she has, the shaggy silvered mullet – I get down low and breathe at mushroom level, I am remembering that character Shaggy of the elongated head from that childhood cartoon Scoobedo, I hear that cartoon voice and I am also still resonating with the ink cap from the weekend away V showed as she was telling of her mycellium adventures. I wonder how long the ink cap will be allowed to remain as I take my leave getting back into the car and driving on now the very short distance home.
It’s been a couple of weeks of busyness that has kept me away and I there is an urgency to re-emerge, to seek out the valley and as I reach the Chestnut I am happily surprised to find shaggy ink cap still standing as I pass into the Glen dusk.
All golden leaves lit up all around on the ground and in the air sparser hanging in solitary spaces mid air one by one in taking their leaf selves from the stem that has withdrawn all of the green back into the living body of their tree form selves. I see more ribbons on the bridges rehung by the dancer M and further on the labels still on the hawthorn left there by Poet A, the wishes still there. I spend some time standing over the river at the Fleischmann place feeling it rush beneath me soothing and inviting at once, the belly connection. Taking the North path westwards towards the dying sun I see Rhonda and her human slip into view, we stop by the wall and a bat sweeps out multiple figures of 8 above our heads as we catch up on all things Glen. It darkens as I move on, heading for the hatch for more watery re-connections. The river isn’t smelling so bad today, and feels fresh, I am brought into the cup of the Glen and it’s dark now as I turn back East and up the path alongside the zigzag below the glow of the rising half moon. Turning onto the Ballyhooley Road for home I find Shaggy ink cap has indeed been brought down and so I gather up the body and carry it home.
