Winter Solstice 2022

Happy Solstice everyone! The book I mention is Living Treefully by Pamela Meekings-Stewart, and here is the poem I read in tribute to all those who have had to flee Ukraine (and every other war-torn place). The accompanying photo is by Ukrainian photographer Maria Pankova, who now lives in Edinburgh. William Ayot’s beautiful book is called Re-enchanting the Forest: Meaningful Ritual in a Secular World

Things to Carry with You as You Leave the Ruins

First, bring your careful animal body
To test the ground as it shifts beneath you,
Your six strong senses to get you through the night,
The sinew and muscle you took for granted,
Your red-raw hands, your gut, your heart,
The wrathful snarl, which shocked you once,
That now, like a tyger could save your life.

Next, pack the sweetness of all that is gone
The gallery of smiles, the faded images
From the dog-eared scrapbooks of tribe and kin,
Left in a corner, long forgotten —
The silly songs, the half-remembered melodies,
the tired jokes and indulgent groans,
The lingering imprint of a hand on your cheek,
A tender reminder of your attendant dead,
And the kindness in those who did such harm.

Remember the smell of your own rich soil,
The scent of its trees, their leaves and needles,
The stones you kicked that seemed to have no value
That now you’d give gold to hold in your hand.
And as you hear the rumble of distant collapse,
Far away and fading as you take your leave,
Be mindful too that there was once a joy
In every waking and every morning
That you were witness to, albeit unaware.
That you were at home in your part of the world,
That you were beloved of the spirits of place.