The Pollarded Willows

Gold cherry

By Ed Crane

Wed, 08 Dec 2021
  • 2236 reads
16 comments
 

Giving their all for uncounted centuries.

Donating new growth for fences and fuel

every few years, which must seem like

days to such ancient long-living trees. They

have cousins that lived a thousand years.

 

Maybe their days are nearly done, hollowed

out hearts long worn away by wind and rain,

but they live on. Shelters for wintering mosses

and less hardy perennials grateful for summer

shade huddling inside gnarled welcoming skin.

 

Strong walls painted in nature’s abstract art

thrusting out fresh arms as an offering to

their human masters whose mutilations

gifted them with almost endless lifetimes.

Stunted giants offering their wares in return.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl3i1GMuyeU

(a beautiful song for these generous trees)

Certificate U
Poem
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

A wonderful close up look at this willow, produced a fine poem and a great tribute. 

I enjoyed reading.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

I am happy you enjoyed my poem

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Particularly liked your last part where you describe the harsh partnership with people. I wonder if they will become common again to help with climate change floods? So many old paintings have them as part of the landscape don't they? Are they still being planted where you live?

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

They are well looked after and are still a valuable source of wood for fuel and fencing. Maybe modern wood burners have saved them. I don't know if new ones are still planted but I think they would be replaced when they die off. On a long stretch of road near me the ones lining it were all cut back this year. An incredible amount of wood came off them and it was shipped off somewhere.

Also Italian Black Poplars are used for drainage (like in the UK) and they are also pollarded regularly. Black Poplars are also 'farmed' for wood to make pallets.

Thanks for your lovely comment

 

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

This delightful look at the lovely willow is our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day! Please do share/retweet if you enjoy it too.

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Thank you so much Airy

They are remarkable trees

 

Submitted by Turlough on

An excellent reminder of how little respect we have for these miracles of nature that will (or at least should) outlive us.

I really enjoyed reading your poem.

Oh, and congratulations on your golden cherries.

Turlough

Submitted by Ed Crane on

The ones near me are well looked after. Every autumn a group from the town hall nature people come and clean then up clipping of the whisper growth and removing dead growth around the base of the trunks.

I think they are protected by law now

 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Stunted giants - there's something so sad about their appearance compared to the majestic unpollarded trees. What a brilliant response to the Inspiration Point - thank you Ed - very well deserved golden cherries

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

I agree they do look so forlorn just after they are cut back. I used to hate seeing the pollarded plain trees when I lived near London. However, the Willows do provide a valuable resource and much needed drainage. 

I don't think the weeping willow variety are pollarded, I hope not. There is a magnificent specimen on the riverside about a hundred metres from where I live. Also further along the river there are a few of the willows used for pollarding that have been left to grow free. They are absolutely enormous.

 

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

I enjoy reading this and receive something new each time: I especially liked the last line. With some trepidition may I also query the second line, where you use 'an' instead od 'and'; I wasn't sure if this was deliberate ot a typo? 

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Editing is not my forté it seems. I can guarentee I will always miss something. 

Thanks for that,

I'm pleased you enjoyed this piece and found it useful. The trees near me are completely hollow, but they still keep going and look brilliant in the summer, really adds to the apperance of our street. In the summer all sorts of other plants make a home inside them (and probably animals, but we don't see them of course)

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

Same here - I see I put a typo in my question; and I'm getting lazy with spell-check, which doesn't seem to work here, forcing me to coddle my brain! We live about a mile from the River Ouse, and we have willows in places - a wonderful tree but not to be planted anywhere near pipes!

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Yes it's good to see that these trees are still looked after and maintained in a healthy condition. I hope it contribute to the death of the "plastic age" 

 

Submitted by celticman on

almost endless lifetimes, sometimes that's just a normal Sunday for me. 

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

recycled nature programmes and 'live' sport.