by Cheryl Batavia

Ingrid Wilson

A Bracken Fern

Selected Poems 2020-2025

Ingrid Wilson

A Bracken Fern

Selected Poems

2020-2025

Coming December 5, 2025

The title caught my attention immediately. It brought back memories of swaths of vivid green and the sweet, pungent smell of bracken ferns. Ingrid Wilson is nature’s child, and her love of nature is evident in her poetry.

Beachcombing

I’m thinking about painting

the ocean with its fervor

and its froth.

But for an artist’s eye and hand

I’d render both the sky and land:

The glory and the splendor of the earth.

Photo by Sebastian Hans on Unsplash.

A Bracken Fern evokes the rugged landscapes of Ingrid’s beloved Lake country in Northern England. It is a place of history: impressive ruins from Roman times and, going even further back in time, mystical stone henges and sacred circles. Ingrid has an intimate connection to this land and its storied past that is reflected in her beautiful poetry.

Child of the Wild High Places

…Child of the changing seasons

collecting poetry and rhyming reasons

just to be still a while,

only to smile.

Accompanied by her two young sons, Ingrid recently walked the length of Hadrian’s Wall. What a history lesson…not only for her sons, but also for her fellow bloggers with whom she shared fascinating narration and gorgeous photos of the journey!

https://experimentsinfiction.com

View of Hadrian’s Wall, Cawfields to Gilsland. Photo by Ingrid Wilson.

A Bracken Fern’s exquisite poems share intensely personal observations and emotions. In poignant poems, Ingrid candidly describes her difficult childhood, her grief over the loss of her mother at an early age, struggles with addiction, a troubled marriage, and her longing to return home to the English countryside she loved.

No Homelike Place

…Praying we can find

a homelike place

we build our houses

…but we can never build without

the homelike place

which we must seek, and find and build

within ourselves, which nowhere else endures.

Points North

…And at sundown

out came all the thousand stars,

And I can name the constellations

in this hemisphere

at any time of year:

There is always The Plough above, or “The Big Dipper”

and at its tip, Polaris

The Pole Star points North.

A view near Carlisle, Ingrid’s hometown growing up. Photo by Ingrid Wilson.

Ingrid found her way to health, found her voice in writing poetry, and found her way back to England. There she fell in love with a talented, creative soulmate. Together, they established a new life for themselves and their blended family. Ingrid founded her own publishing house, EIF, Experiments in Fiction.

Poems written about this period of Ingrid’s life are filled with joy. The pages of A Bracken Fern overflow with love poems and vivid descriptions of the family’s adventures. Ingrid has found her well-deserved happiness and has generously chosen to share it with her readers.

Seedhead Hope Song

…Our hopes, though fragile, rising high

as dandelion-seeds dance the sky.

When the Named Storms Come

…And if the post can’t make it through

then I will drive to you

and if I can’t get petrol

I will ride my bike.

All the Way to Midsummer

…all the way to midnight, I

watch full moons rise if only in your eyes

It’s more than moonlight, babe, it’s starlight too

and earth expands

in your cupped hands

Our wedding bands

in secret pledge

I do.

If I Could Paint

the Colours of Your Eyes

If I could paint the colours of your eyes

I fantasise, I’d swim that depth of blue

and what I wouldn’t do

to bring the sparkle back when it has fled

to lift your heart when it’s dispirited.

Ingrid’s poetry is technically perfect, as well as beautifully expressed. A person who spoke no English, hearing Ingrid’s poems read aloud, would surmise that they were listening to music. Ingrid’s background in English literature and her knowledge of history and mythology provide polish and an added dimension to her work. In this book, you will find well-chosen quotes from William Blake, William Wordsworth, Robert Burns, Lao Tse, and Bob Dylan.

If You Kill the Bird

…You’re just an empty cage girl

void of poetry, unheard.

You’re just an empty cage girl

if you kill

you kill the bird.

Photo of Bluebells by Diana Parker on Unsplash.

A Bracken Fern

…In a graveyard graced with bluebells whose heads bowed

drop pollen tears upon the fertile ground

as bracken ferns unfurl their bannered green

to clothe the hillside and these bones of mine.

Spend a pleasant hour or two reading the beautiful poems of Ingrid Wilson’s magnificent new poetry collection, A Bracken Fern. Pick it up again from time to time, and find your spirits lifted by Ingrid’s inspiring words.

Review by Cheryl Batavia

32 Comments

  1. Unknown's avatar

    Thank you for this wonderfully comprehensive and evocative review. You don’t just describe the poems; you make the reader feel the landscapes and emotions within them. I was particularly moved by your description of her journey from a difficult past to a joyful present, and how that is reflected in her poetry. The excerpts you chose are stunning, especially “No Homelike Place” and the wedding bands “in secret pledge.” You’ve written a tribute as beautiful as the collection it describes.

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  2. Unknown's avatar

    Thank you, Cheryl, for your excellent book review of Ingrid Wilson’s beautifully unique poetry. Based on her eventful life, her verses inspire and move in equal measure. I know the Lake District and all that she describes so well, and indeed, they are beautiful.

    Joanna x

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    1. Unknown's avatar

      Thank you, Joanna, for your thoughtful reply. I have never had the pleasure of visiting the Lake District, but Ingrid’s poems and photos bring it to life for me. I wonder if my English ancestors ever spent time walking through those beautiful, historic landscapes. I like to think that maybe they did. 💕 Have a blissful weekend!

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  5. Unknown's avatar

    This comment comes from Chris Hall, who is having technical difficulties. Her comments are going to spam. If you are a tech person, maybe you could help her fix it.❤️

    CHRIS HALL

    How lovely! Gorgeous poems…I knew the Lake District very well!

    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

    Thank you, Chris, for your kind words! Ingrid has written a truly exquisite book.

    The Lake district seems like a magical place. If I were younger, I would love to explore the historical sites there. 💕🌻💕

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  6. Unknown's avatar

    Thank you, Cheryl, for this wonderful review of a beautiful book by an equally wonderful person, Ingrid Wilson. Her life experiences seem to be deeply and beautifully reflected in her poetry collection. Congratulations to both you and Ingrid!

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    1. Unknown's avatar

      KK, thank you so much for your very kind words! ❤️🩵💛💙💚❤️

      Yes, A Bracken Fern beautifully shares Ingrid’s life story, a journey from fighting adversity to finding happiness and joy! It is a very uplifting and inspiring book.

      Happy weekend!🌻🌹🌸

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  9. Unknown's avatar

    Ingrid is a superb writer and your review highlighted her gifts, her love, her hardships and triumphs so well, Cheryl. She walks the talk of nature and the love that she has in her heart for her mom, her aunt, and all three of her boys. I’m so happy for her new addition so artfully shared by you. ❣️

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