My father

that coat was thick and heavy
He oiled it, I recall
And it was always on the brass hook
Hanging in the hall
He wore it in the forest
Which he took me to each day
One particular spot he liked
And to me he would always say

Less is more I remember
Thinking
How can less be more
It was where the ladies of the wood
He said Helped him to keep score
it felt so soft beneath our
Feet
From the falling leaves
That encouraged the delicate
Chanterelles to prove that who believes

In the magickal experience
That goes on all the time
Poetry in motion
And the reason for each rhyme
He would take a bunch of these funghi
And put them in his coat
Inside he had a pocket
Oiled and ready and he would dote
On all the various pockets
The coat had for he knew
Anything he foraged for
Would be safe and that was true

He would shallow fry them
in some coconut fat
And place them carefully on some sough dough toast
And we then sat
Together he was showing me
The correlation where
Where this particular fungi lived
And why we had to share

Less is more he would say to me
More I dare not take
My pocket isnt Massive
And more then just might break
And spoil because there are more there
Doesnt mean that we
should Ever take more than we need
They remain a delicacy

Less is more son less is more
The great coat hung up by the door
Pockets here and pockets there
For seeds and catkins, and I swear
Sometimes when I wear it now
I can hear my fathers voice
Its how

He will always guide me
And his greatcoat really does
Keep me safe and warm inside
And I get this buzz
For I believe it is magic
For where I wear it I
Always find my breakfast
In the forest and thats no lie

It really is a greatcoat
For I believe that he
Has passed his knowledge
Thread by thread into my heart
And each tree
That I now can recognize
On its skirt I will
Find something for my breakfast
Something that will thrill

My tastebuds with the subtlety
That wild foods do possess
I know for certain his greatcoat
Though it sometimes looks a mess
When I go out a foraging
That is what I wear
And I just retain his knowledge
For i know it is always there

Inspired by my lovely friend Lisa
And a Val Morrison track