 The Green Man
by Cecilia Chance
Have you seen him in the Rectory garden,
The Green Man, under the apple boughs?
Jack-in-the-Green, the Odd Fellow,
The Green Thing, The Sly One?
Have you seen the roots springing from the crown of his head?
The vines from his gaping mouth?
His peeled willow wand
For knocking hollow bark to wake the bees?
He would set the rector skipping
In his abandoned glebe
Among the rank weeds
And rotting cucumber frames
And anthills piling up like Pelion;
He would set the field mice scurrying,
The Deacons dancing
If he reached for his wand
Or but raised an eyebrow
For the garden was his demesnes
Before Abraham begat Isaac.
The Green Man, The Earth-Spirit,
New-born, Older than God.
"The Green Man" is printed in issue No. 71, Autumn 2004 of the literary gardening journal "Hortus", a fabulous read, and well worth the cost of overseas mailing. Find out more at
www.hortus.co.uk
To find a Green Man like the one pictured here in my garden, go to Lucca Statuary, 3623 Leary Way in Seattle's Fremont district.
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