IF (Or, Back To The Garden)

bumblebees-on-foxglove

 

If all chains
Were daisy-chains,
And all borders
Flower borders,
If all thorns in sides
Were only there
To protect.

If all violence turned violets,
And every Red Poppy
Became a White Poppy,
A Purple Poppy. [1]

If every Sheep’s Bit,
Lamb’s Ear,
Oxtongue,
Oxlip,
Force-fed Fat Hen,
Common Cleaver,
Wormwood;
Every Shepherd’s Purse
Were no more.

If every Johnny Jump-Up,
Every Texas Bluebonnet,
Every Kentucky Bluegrass,
Every Black-Eyed Susan,
Every Snapdragon,
Every None-So-Pretty,
Catchfly,
Bitter-Vetch,
Bouncing Bet;
Dame’s Rocket,
Lady’s Mantle,
Gold-Of-Pleasure;

All the Lord’s And Ladies,
Love-Lies-Bleeding,
Mind-Your-Own-Business,
Fox-and-Cubs,
Hound’s Tongue,
Whistling Jack,
Dragon’s Teeth,
Lance-Leaf,
Hawk Bit,
Leopard’s Bane;

Every Mexican Hat,
Spanish Dagger,
Cowslip,
Cowbane,
Tormentil;

Every Goat’s Rue,
Hen Bane,
Flea Bane,
Wild Madder;

Every Ramping Fumitory,
Every Scarlet Sage,
Crimson Clover,
Bastard Toadflax;

Every Adder’s Tongue,
Woundwort,
Rupturewort,
Creeping Marshwort,
Pokeweed –

Became a Sweet William,
A Sweet Cicely,
A Golden Alison,
A Baby’s Breath,
An Oxeye Daisy,
A Sweet Alyssum;
Smelling only
Of Roses…

If Thymes changed;
If every Siberian Wallflower,
Every Go-To-Bed-At-Noon,
Every Knap Weed,
Aunt-Eliza,
Creeping Jenny –
Spoke out,
Remembering:
“Forget-Me-Not,”
The Bleeding Heart.
If there were Honesty again,
And Love-In-A-Mist…

Then the Foxglove
Would warm paws once more;

Every Bird’s Foot,
Crowfoot,
Little Robin, [2]
Would be a Bird-In-A-Bush –
Not a trap. [3]

Every Colt’s Foot,
Every Unknown Goosefoot,
Every Mare’s Tail,
Mouse Tail,
Would be free again.

Hare’s Ear,
And Mouse Ear,
Would hear Trumpet Flower;

Pheasant’s Eye,
And Weasel’s Snout,
Would behold Yellow Archangel;

Angel’s Tears would heal.
Crane’s Bill and Stork’s Bill
Would be happily picked up;

And we would see the return
Of Morning Glory –
Usher in the long-desired,
Anciently predicted
Age of Lilies. [4]

All would Speedwell,
Eyebright,
Pearly Everlasting,
Star Of Bethlehem,
Meadowsweet.

There would be food-a-plenty:
Cow’s Parsley,
Turkey Corn,
Pigweed,
Swinecress,
Monkeyflower,
Oysterplant,
Cudweed,
Honey Suckle,
Wild Turnip.

If human beings
Became humane beings.

If humans
Started being
And just stopped doing…

If.

 

Heidi Stephenson

 

1 https://www.facebook.com/PurplePoppysAnimalsInTheWar

2 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2637497/How-robin-starling-end-firing-line-Proposal-add-iconic-species-list-birds-killed-legally.html

3  http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/en/news-253-The_truth_about_bird_trapping.html

4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_of_Fiore

Joachim Di Fiore prophesied a final Age of the Holy Spirit, (when peace would return to earth once more.) It was also called the Age of Lilies: https://rollingwithvishnu.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/the-saint-francis-of-assisiparamhansa-yogananda-connection/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


By Heidi Stephenson

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One Response to IF (Or, Back To The Garden)

    1. Lovely / thoughtfull

      Comment by Gordon on 14 June, 2016 at 9:06 am

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