Willow

Short lived infact in the philosophy
Of existence one might say
Undeniably its beautiful
In a truly peaceful way
An individuality loving the water so
In essence its long sweeping branches
Where cool waters flow

The sort of constitution
A virtue of its own
An environment crowd pleaser
With an equivalence and tone
A truly female spirit
Widespread an embracing all
Really rather breathtaking
And holistic as a rule

The whispering tree said Seneca
The china pattern tree
Recall its flowing flourish
On those ceramics we
Saw witches crafting brooms of them
Their branches resemble tears
Seen to droop so solemnly
Thats how it appsars

In autumn they turn yellow
Dramatic art forms they
Providing waves of harmony
In their given way
A rambling kind of patterning
A golden tapestry
A picture of such concentration
This bold dancing tree

Really takes up water
Its need is surely there
Hecate the goddess of the willow’s
Magic stare
Sacred to the poets
Orpheus we know
Carried willow branches
He loved to give that show

A healthy branch pushed soilwards
Will sprout for all its worth
Having an amazing life force
Fired up in mother earth
The Fifth moon of the celtic year
Osier sometimes called
In literary terms made famous
Clearly it has enthralled

Readers over many years
Young and old alike
Napoleon rested under one
The wind in the willows
A tyke
That gurgled along so merrily
Prismatic in every way
A stream is a dream where
The light throws its gleam
In its most creative way

From the ovate grade of druidry
The willows healing power
Its catkins appear early
Its nectar from the flower
Attract the bee’s who come buzzing
In the early hour

Salicyllic acid in its bark its high
Its very natural a pain killer
Which is clearly why
Herbalists and some physicians
Use it to this day
Its gentle and rewarding
To the sufferer they say

Its roots are very very tough
Its buds are lateral they
Planted on paths and banks of streams
They strengthen and display
Bad to plant near houses though
Or septic tanks for they
The roots will grow right through
And damage them more each day

Edward bach was certain
His flower remedies should include
Nets and baskets wands and brooms
Flutes and sweat lodges crude
Excellent for charcoal
Willow arches do
Ornament great gardens
Biomass biofuel
Also bio filtration
On wetlands that is new

Used environmentally
Saille by another name
She is governed by the moon
So the celts did claim
Brigit sought at imbolc
From the salix genus she
Rises from the watery flow
Where beavers love to be

Rabbits and deer will browse around
Wood ants also live
The larvae of the lepidoptera
Also likes to give
Some time to dear old willow
Revered by kuangyin
And the jewish holiday sukkot
Where willow twigs they sping
And hit the ground for tish rei
To do with harvest time
Sound boxes of harps were of willow
Where the resonance then could climb

In Babylon they hung their harps
Up on willow trees
In Shakespeare’s othello
A willow song
Was to appease
At two feet per year small groves soon grew
And druids thought them to be
With their staminate male
And pistillate female
A really promising tree

The sadness is just thirty years
And they will often die
Their tenderness and brilliance
It is a great shame why
Some trees live for centuries
But not so willow she
But she is useful when they cut her down
For cricket bats they be world class
And great furniture is made from willow wood
Flutes and whistles
Boxes broom handles
So I guess thats good

In oghams calendar 15/4-12/5 each year