Ivy Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Ivy
When ivy chooses her partner, it's unto death
The mother hen of the woods, she feeds and shelters
Butterflies, hoverflies, swallow-tailed moths and bees

Hedera helix of the family Araliaceae
This evergreen, this spiralling woody climber
With leaves ofgreen all varied white or cream
Is a benefactrix, a philanthropist of the highest order

Her nectar, pollen and berries, sustain when food is scarce
Wood's songsters, thrushes, blackcaps, doves and blackbirds
Dip in and out of her larder, fattening their bones

Her sprigs were brought into homes to keep evil spirits at bay.
Bacchus wore wreaths of ivy leaves round his head
A cure for hangover. Poets of Rome were crowned with her
Athletes of ancient Greece competed for her prize.

Ivy:the emblem of fidelity,
Priests presented her to the newly wed

Shecan be grazed by cattle, emergency winter fodder
In conservation she can preserve old buildings
She regulates the temperature on the stonework.
Her gifts are endless.
Listen to the woodlands singing their friend's praises
Without fanfare, without pomposity, she grows and gives

Listen to the trees, they'll tell you
She's warmer than any fur coat from a slain creature
She wears both sunbeams and snow with equal grace
Rain runs off her back like jibes at thick skinned MPs

Listen to the trees, they learn to love her
Under the white stars, the north wind,
The vast acres of night, like an arranged marriage
They cannot imagine living now without her
Even the moon is touched by ivy's constancy