Let me start
by saying I sprout anywhere
that needs my help,
and I leave only when my job is done.
Fight me all you want,
I’m a stubborn one.
You might consider
calling me ‘Magical Nanny’ of flowers,
for all I do to help others;
my head of closely-packed florets
is plenty big enough to take the title.
Not convinced I deserve it?
Well, take a peek at my résumé.
Item One:
My tough taproot easily pierces
compact soil, splitting it apart like a geode,
loosening clumps, aerating,
making space for weaker roots
to settle in.
Item Two:
I can survive with few minerals –
in fact, when my leaves wilt
as I snuggle close to the earth,
they leave a healthy stock behind
so new seedlings
won’t taste hunger.
Item Three:
Every spring, up I pop,
(even if your soil’s a touch acidic),
offering both pollen and nectar
to ravenous emerging insects.
I’m quite popular with them, you know.
Item Four:
Though my blooms may close on chilly days,
waft some warmth my way
and I’ll stretch, blink open my golden lashes.
There, aren’t I glorious?
Item Five:
Need to make a wish?
Blow on my seed head, observing how many
fluffy white parachutes break away,
and it’s sure to come true.
(Okay, that one might be a myth.
But you’ve got to admit,
it’s a cool myth.)
Now, have I stated my case enough
for you to let me grow in peace?
This poem is part of a project I’m doing to raise money for the RSPB, a UK wildlife conservation and protection charity. Being autistic, nature is often my only place of solace, and I want to do all I can to protect it. As I’m not very comfortable around other people, most of the standard ways of helping out (volunteering, social fundraisers etc) were not a good fit for me, so I came up with #52weeksofnaturepoetry, where I have to post a nature poem here on this blog each week for an entire year without fail.
If you’d like to help, please share this poem to encourage others to take joy in nature, and if you have the time and means to donate, you can do so here. Let’s help keep our wildlife wild!
(You can also become a member of the RSPB and support them month to month. Members receive Nature’s Home magazine and seasonal guides for what to look out for when out and about. Details are on their website.)
[Apologies for how these poems are formatted. I do write them in stanzas, but WordPress rarely decides to keep them, no matter how much I argue with it.]
Treeshallow Musings 