Elderflowers


Clusters of elderflowers are bursting out all over, lining the green cycle ways around Bristol. I've been reading about some of the folklore and superstitions associated with the elder tree (Sambucus nigra)  this week and wanted to write something, but wasn't sure what. Then yesterday I joined a new writing group for women in a cool quiet library and all those bubbling thoughts seemed to want to be a poem. Here it is:

The Spirit of the Elder Tree

Summer has come crashing in early
A sticky sweaty suncreamed heatwave
But here are delicate white elderflowers,
and a sweet scent on the breeze
Maybe this year, I will pick blooms for cordial or champagne
I say this every year
And every year, I don’t

She is maidenly right now, lacy like a bride
With all the baggage that comes with a white dress
Don’t fall for it girls
Blossom promises but soon fades

For the Elder tree carries the power of three
The maiden, the mother, the crone
Planted at your gate it keeps away evil spirits
Right now I would welcome this power

Fairy tales entwine her
Warning to ask permission before we cut
Be careful, the witch will get you!
But how often do we heed this?

I wish I was an elder tree
I wish magic was real
I wish I had the power to protect you

This week I dozed in the heat, hiding in my garden hammock in the shade. I read Enchanted Places by Christopher Milne, describing his uneasy relationship with being the 'real' Christopher Robin in the Winnie the Pooh books written by his father AA Milne. I have also started another book group choice, The Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende. This week Radio 4's Word of Mouth was tailor-made for nature writers, with an episode called 'Words to Love the Living World'. Listen on BBC Sounds.

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