The Hazel

In early Spring we see the flowers
Still leafless
Tufts and catkins they
Female and male
The leaves serrated
And heavily veined
clear green
To grey
And yellow
Hanging on for dear life
Through late Autumn they
The stems are very pliable
And make good ties so they say

A good nut year
Is a good wheat year
A hazel rod can see
Marvellous for divining
Where hidden treasures be
May also find the subterranean streams
It really can
If Gripped lightly in the hand
Provide the inspiration
To help us understand

Its nuts grow in small clusters
Two to three together
The Nuthatch really loves them
And squirrels like them too
I am rather partial
I dont know about you
An oil produced from hazels
Is fine and very good
For watches and for sewing machines
And in salads people should
Remove the skin and eat the nut
With some raisins maybe so
Some sweetness and some dryness
For roasting them you know
They really taste much better
Culpeper thought to say
That hazelnuts were tasty
When roasted did display
Somewhat of a curative
For pulmonary affairs
Its very good at strengthening the lungs
And clearly shares

Wild bounty from the hedgerows
Cheap and cheerful fayre
For foragers delectable
And to find them there
On the Eve of All Hallows
It has been said by some
One burns the nuts
Fortelling the future
Every crumb
that crackles
And The intensity it shows
That as love charms they are working
Underneath our nose