Rowan

Gold cherry

By onemorething

Fri, 03 Dec 2021
  • 2249 reads
14 comments
 

Poem 7 for Day 7 of National Tree Week. This poem is for Lynn Valentine and Jane Cornwell on Twitter. 
 

The dead stay dead

for a rowan tree - 

only the ghosts of gods

remain, caught by blackbirds 

who, on glut of berries, 

sing their spells, runecut

into its wood. A quickbeam 

is a wanderer, solitary, and

snarled into being, of tor

and wayside, is wicken 

for spindles, blossom 

for bee bread. But

bare, frostlit with starlight,

tempted by Springlight,

I think a lonely rowan might 

still talk to mountains. 

 

Image is from here: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rowan_Tree_on_Feinn_Loch_-_Kilmelford_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1552611.jpg

 

 

 

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Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I love how you look at this tree Rachel, how it's solitary and snarled into being, of tor and wayside are wicken for spindles, blossom for bees bread. But bare, frostlit with starlit. You describe something quite mysterious and magical about this tree.

I will miss these tree poems. Look forward to them each day.

Thank you for sharing.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Ahhh, Jenny, that's so kind, am really happy you've enjoyed them all. I said to Paul yesterday on social media that having a theme for the week or month (as I did for October) is actually quite a good way of committing myself to writing for an hour or so a day. :)

 

Submitted by celticman on

we've a few rowan around. Some are used as hedging. I don't know if it's cold enough for the birds to feed on the berries yet. They are associalted with druids, or so I heard, not knowing any, actual, druids. 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

The druids have a lot to do with most trees. Mind you, I don't know any Druids personally either... Thanks for the cherries. :)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I love "snarled into being" too! Though  rowan trees here are not snarled at all, they are elegant and sleek weighed down with vermillion berries like seedful jewels

am so going to miss these tree poems :0) Am glad you did rowans, they are my favourites after beeches and apples. You have done them all proud!

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Ah, well, you have to be born on a mountain to be snarly and gnarly, I suppose. I love how they're weighted with jewels too, ready to be scoffed by birds. :)

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

I love how trees are associated with so much myth and history. Rowans are such beautfiul trees - Di's right and you have done them proud. I think there's some tradition about planting one near your house - for good fortune. Perhaps that's just Suffolk though. Thank you for this wonderful series - yes please do set a theme again - it's been brilliant!

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Oh, thank you! Yes, Rowans are special trees, if you plant one outside your home it will protect you from all bad things, later this became more about protection from witches, but only when the idea of being a witch was equated with evil. :)

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our very well deserved Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day!

Please share/retweet if you enjoyed it as much as I did, and take a look at our new Inspiration Point which I've pinched from onemore's brilliant tree series

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thank you! That's an excellent end to a Friday! :) Will look forward to some tree poems and stories! 

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Ah, that's my daughter's middle name and one of my favourite trees. I think you've paid a fine tribute to this beautiful tree, covering all of it's characteristics. I love to watch the blackbirds downing the berries in one. 'Solitary wanderers', yes, you rarely see them in the company of other trees, normally alone at the edge of a meadow, exposed. The name will always remind me of The Wicker Man and for that, I love it even more.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Ah, thanks so much, Jane. Am very happy you liked it. To be named Rowan makes one a little magical automatically, I imagine. :)

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

I believe trees are the solution to our global warming problem and can reverse the process I have very good reasons.

Think of a tree as a factory, absorbing light energy and converting carbon dioxide and water through photosynthesis into carbon and organic foods, and oxygen, instead. In fact removing carbon-dioxide again from the atmosphere and replenishing oxygen. What more do you want?

Gives shade and it is beautiful and no waste just runs for free all you have to do is plant it. Plant hundreds, plant thousands, plant millions. It is essentially free you just do it. But we have been doing exactly the opposite with the fossil fuels.

Although I have to admit that most of this already happens in the oceans, mostly algae, and other plants.

All this talk of trees reminds me of Dogmatix in the Asterix stories! Enjoyed the poem but I don't think I have ever seen such a Rohan tree.

Keep well! Tom Brown

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thanks for reading it, Tom. Agreed, trees are so important.