Introduction
On
31st July I met a friend and we went to Saint James Park
to have a picnic, choosing to sit within a perfect fairy circle, of
about nine feet diameter, containing 'Fairy Ring Champignon'
Shortly later three ravens came all as in the poem. The sweet
was a kind of joke sweet called 'Black Death' and was as described.
Once
upon a moon day brightly, while we approach, good and rightly,
With
sun shine on the noon timely,
going
downward
upon
one
knee,
While
I pondered
of
morrows fest, of
the Lammas day
of harvest,
Of
the fresh
loaf
warm and sun blessed, came
a troupe of ravens three,
Standing
still
by
fairy
circle dressed
in black all ravens three,
Around
cautious me and she.
As
we sat inside
the grass ring, I could see the corvids dark wing,
And
each raven their
shadow
bring,
upon
the ground
close
by
to
see,
Sat
we witches with our long hair, looking, glancing, longing to stare,
At
those dark
ravens
who
did dare, dare guard the
circle
by the tree,
In
soft sunshine the small mushrooms sitting there beneath
the tree,
In
a circle there for thee.
Breaking
baked bread ravens musing, then two ponder their leave choosing,
One
rare
raven circle
cruising,
walking
widdershins like John Dee,
Now
the circle he is tracing, softly slowly he is pacing,
On
the worn fairy ring tracing, pacing circle true like Dee,
Time
to taste the ball of Black Death like the scrying orb of Dee,
This
is what she gaveth me.
All
at once the taste grew stronger, I could bear it more no longer,
But
endured I the flavour, it
wilt soon passeth sayeth she.
Finally
the dark taste ended, and then gently sweetness entered,
Then
that
raven he went flying, far
beyond the tall plane tree,
Leaving
us alone together, pondering
beneath that
tree,
What
wilt she next giveth me?
Copyright
Andrew Rea Lammas 2017
