Marigolds torch a pathway through fields
uncertain whether spring has come
early or late. Huts below the mountains smoulder
beneath the ice, the clouds scorched with flame.
Brooding couples dance slowly
through the shadow of the rain,
wait for you to tint the foxgloves, silver the birch
plant the orchard, alter the scene again
marvel how your rhubarb grows
in so many different strains,
one for every child conceived.
Friends gather for the party, but no sign of cake,
no beer, no froth – a short-lived summer
the table spread with nothing but a cloth.
_ _ _
Angela Croft has been widely published in magazines and was highly commended in Poetry News for her poem ‘Birth Song’ written in response to the anatomical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci; and a collection entitled ‘Dancing with Chagall’ is published in Caboodle by Prolebooks.
The compelling work of Nicolai Astrup came as a complete surprise. His paintings like none other drew me right into the landscape. The fire, the ice; the way he conveyed the endurance of the people dancing, their resourcefulness, his telling images have stayed with me like a fairy tale and I tried to capture the essence in my poem - Angela.
3 Comments
They are MARSH marigolds, not marigolds; very different. Marsh marigolds are also known as kingcups. They are perennials. The latin name is caltha palustris and their natural habitat is marshy, wet land.
The plant known as marigold is a garden annual (latin name either tagetes, or calendula)
Thank you for reading my poem. Yes, marsh-marigolds are growing in my garden now but for the purposes of my poem, on seeing Astrup’s wonderful painting, (and not a botanical study) both the Oxford and the Chambers dictionaries confirm that:
Marigold is a generic term for plants with yellow flowers other than true marigolds, eg corn marigold, marsh marigold and takes the name Mary and gold denoting the corn or garden marigold.
Angela
Angela
Thank you for reading my poem. Yes, marsh marigolds are in bloom in my garden now, but for the purposes of my poem, on seeing Astrup’s superb painting (clearly entitled Marsh Marigolds) - and not a botanical study I would refer you to all the major English dictionaries, which state that ‘marigold’ is a generic term for plants with yellow flowers other than true marigolds. Angela