All of them are silent friends
\nIn unchallenged supremacy
\nStands the oak
\nIts massive strength
\nIts grandeur
\nThe tree of life for me<\/p>\n
An Oak
\nA lover of the eternal light
\nA great force to be reckoned with
\nBehold the druids right<\/p>\n
To perform their rites
\nTheir sanctuary
\nBeneath tbeir sacred shade
\nWith sessile leaves
\nYes stalkless
\nOn peduncles are laid<\/p>\n
Acorns individual stalks
\nBut then again we see
\nLeaves on stalks
\nAnd acorns not
\nThe other type of tree<\/p>\n
Both oaks both strapping
\nSolid woods
\nQUercus rich fed green to brown
\nHanging on through winters bite
\nUntil the next Spring
\nCurled and rustic
\nDisplaces them with its new light<\/p>\n
Pendulous catkins complete with scales
\nTransforms into the cup
\nWe see
\nHolding the acorn in its grasp
\nThe flowers appear in April
\nSimultaneously<\/p>\n
By October it be ripe and good
\nAs moisture then transcends
\nAnd taking flight from wind
\nIt flies
\nIts flightful journey sends<\/p>\n
The nut the future groves
\nHurled near and far
\nThe gardeners of nature
\nThe wild souls who will star<\/p>\n
By taking them and throwing them
\nOr burying them at ease
\nOr the schoolboy who may
\nCarry them away
\nAnd drop them, trees<\/p>\n
Flourish being carried
\nTo other places
\nWhere
\nFate may bring them luck
\nMay wing them
\nFlying through the air<\/p>\n
Faeries use the acorn cups
\nAs goblets for the dew
\nThe wine upon the faery feast
\nWith senses good and true
\nThe forests swine suggests
\nA bitter treat for one and all
\nTis said the flesh may suffer
\nBut as a vegan i can call<\/p>\n
Not on the flesh of animals
\nNeither dead or lost
\nPreferring to enjoy their lives
\nWhatever be that cost
\nAnd now we know how many creatures
\nFrequenting the bold tree
\nCreating galls and apples
\nAnd spangles earnestly<\/p>\n
Nuts and berries the mistletoe
\nThe cause of all of these
\nDiverted sap a rising
\nA chaotic light filled tease
\nInsects come to lay their eggs
\nAnd they will fly away
\nThe apples and the oak galls formed
\nA multincoloured sway<\/p>\n
Perhaps a thousand insects
\nAre supported by the tree
\nThe cockchafer is one of them
\nAnd varietal moths they be
\nPerhaps the Purple Emperor
\nA butterfly supreme
\nPretty rare these days alas
\nShades of red and cream<\/p>\n
May bugs once were common
\nBut mists of ugly spray
\nScarabs once from ancient times
\nAnd the purple emperor they
\nSeemingly were faeries
\nAs subtle as could be
\nThat also liked the willow scrub
\nAnd the minerals for free<\/p>\n
The roots delve ever deeper
\nInto the underworld
\nThe tree of Thor
\nWhat is the door
\nTo the kingdom Where is hurled
\nGalatian tribes held councils
\nOak milk caps too are found
\nIn the great oaks shadow
\nIn the underground<\/p>\n
Myccorrhizals gifted beings
\nProviding nutrients rich
\nIncrease water intake
\nAnd dutifully pitch
\nDefence against bacteria
\nAnd alien fungi who
\nMay come to cause the great oak damage
\nAs some are prone to do,<\/p>\n
Like the armillaria whose honey fronds
\nMay be
\nA threat of doom and gloom
\nFor what we know as our oak tree<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
All of them are silent friends In unchallenged supremacy Stands the oak Its massive strength Its grandeur The tree of life for me An Oak A lover of the eternal light A great force to be reckoned with Behold the … Continue reading