Thirteen Moons of a Beech Tree - Kath Gifford
Long-listed written pieces of 250 words or under submitted to the 2021 Urban Tree Festival writing competition on the theme of “trees close to you”
Thirteen Moons of a Beech Tree
(after Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens)
I
Queen of Britain’s trees
your divinity defines life. Forked
beech branches unearthing water.
II
Ancestors floored stately homes
and railroads, and perform in
the finest orchestras.
IIII
Your shadow is my picnic table,
the lemon light green patterns of my parasol,
roots my pillow.
IV
Like many faiths
you begin your esoteric study at 40
and start to bear fruit:
V
Edible flowers, nuts and leaves.
Pliny wrote of the sweetest beechnut
saving Chios from starvation when besieged.
VI
You express sacred geometry
in your tetrahedron nuts and pyramid seeds.
VII
Bark became bite, the home of words.
The book’s source,
Old Norse bók, means beech,
German’s Buche the same.
VIII
Lovers & lost monikers,
arborglyphs carved for a life span
in your delicate bark,
whilst underneath beats
your hardwood heart.
IX
Soot brown bistre of the artists
also left your mark,
with a hint of yellow.
X
Medics made poultices from your leaves
to reduce swelling,
and the homeopaths
heal with your flowers.
XI
Beech regenerates from its roots and stumps
despite humans’ cultural modifications.
XII
Over 200 years old,
like us you start to lean in later life.
You burn bright but calmly.
XIII
The duality of male and female flowers
on the same branch.
Catkins pollinate in the wind.
Infinite acceptance.
Kath Gifford is an Event Manager living in SE London. Sanity, support and inspiration provided by Arvon Dreamers, Write & Shine and Lukaya. Instagram @kafinaninstance
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