Hedge Hazel

Day 28: 'write your own index poem. You could start with found language from an actual index, or you could invent an index, somewhat in the style of this poem by Kell Connor.'

I'm not at all inspired by this prompt! But here goes. I looked up Hazel and found subheadings coppice, fences, hedges, hurdles, nuts. 


Hedge hazel

So long the unspoken bane
Between neighbours - 
One set on coppicing,  
On trimming to hedge height
The straight as-a-dye branches,
To fashion them into hurdles
Patching gaps further along - 
The other seeking their rise 
Unimpeded, 
Upwards and outwards
Into the view;
The tree stands oddly
Half and half.
On its still green and leafy side
Birds perch, seeking food, 
Nuts will fall in the autumn.
On the coppiced side
New shoots appear 
Beside each stump, 
Starting the cycle of regrowth
Above new flowers emerging
To unexpected sunlight:
Primroses, wood anemone,
Dog violets, bluebells,
Exploiting this time to bloom.
The hazel's strange assymetry
Manifests an unresolved dispute
Between those who think it theirs, 
While it just gets on with living.


© Copyright 2023. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved

 




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