Copse and Spinney

A Poem by Laura Acheson

"In This Place with You"

I can never get tired of being in this place with you

You're my brother and my friend.

We can talk all night long

on this bench, here in the moonlight.

We hear frogs, and whippoorwills,

and listen to the crickets

underneath this old oak tree.

I can lay my head on your shoulder

and just be still,

till the dawn light passes over my face

and wakes me.

(About the Poem)

Years ago, while sitting at the piano and singing spontaneously, a vivid visualization came to mind, accompanied by words. What I pictured, I quickly sketched on paper, immediately crumpled, and tossed into the wastebasket—followed by a second thought: “Maybe I should keep it so I don’t forget.” I didn’t like my drawing, but I kept it anyway, hoping that someday I could do it justice or have someone paint it for me. Today, with the help of AI, I was finally able to get pretty close to what I had imagined all those years ago, (only the moon in my mind was much bigger.)

I always thought of this poem as being about a big brother who is also a best friend, so close and trustworthy that he would protect his little sister no matter what. Or it could have represented someone who is a quiet companion, a trustworthy friend or spouse. But the feeling seemed to go far beyond what human beings are capable of. In my “vision” I saw the moon over the lake, so big it almost filled the night sky. So I knew that it also had a higher meaning. Which indicated to me it had to be about Jesus. Because we humans, try as we might, aren’t perfectly Christlike, we fail one another, hurt feelings and let each other down. But He is a friend who sticks even closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) Jesus, our greatest companion, someone we can feel ultimately safe and in whom we can completely trust.