Willowy Wickopy

FIREWEED FAIRY

Who would’ve thought

such a match could be made,

…the Wickopy boy

with the daughter

of the Primrose Family.

Herb, whose father must toil

from morning to night

courting a girl whose family

owns practically everything

in sight.

Yet we saw them one evening,

riding horseback

over hill and dale,

Sally rode side-saddle,

by the stream

along Deerhorn trail.

They then veered off to follow

the new wilderness road

into the woodlands,

that are now being heavily logged.

The loggers heard Herb yell “Fire’em up!”

Let’s see what these fillies can do,

I’ll race you to the top, Sal…

You owe me dessert if you lose!...

“…One sweet as nectar, my honey,

but, if I lose by chance,

I promise I’ll make you laugh

by doing a bunny dance.”

Bloomin’ all summer long,

they returned

to play these games

alternating between them

which one would win.

Heedless of others

and all that they thought

whether they rubbed them

the wrong way, they cared

not,

As they were smitten,

waterproofed, insulated

within their love pod

as if carried by the wind

spiraling high above.

It left one wondering

how the father

hadn’t a clue,

but when the news hit,

Oh, how he put on a show!

“Pile ‘o warts!” he shouted,

“He’s as good as fodder.

How dare he nibble

at the skirt

of my only dear daughter!

This he sees ‘cause he’s so green…

as the cat’s meow

Shoot! I’ll root

this problem out,

no more

will he come to call!

Men’s brains…

oh, how
they do stir up trouble

how dare he choose her,

he makes my blood boil!

You’d think he’d have courted

Emma Tique instead,

brought his affections

to all altitudes

for them to wed.

But no, rumour has it,

it is him who piles his fever

upon my daughter,

This woeful joining

I adamantly vow to alter.

I’ll pull all ties to those  
I know who can help
from the Soviet Union, North America
and all across Europe.

Boy, I’ll make a cure,

I’ll burn and sweep all over this land.

I’ll spin into the scene,

five of my briskest kin

They’ll help in finishing it…

all this fluff and stuff

doggon’it, I call Queen Charlott

we’ll undo all

that’s been cloaked

and spun.

Had I only gotten wind of this sooner

before it went from a molehill to a mountain

before it germinated and spread

outta hand like a wildfire.

I’da pounded the root

right to the fiber

I’da split the stem open
dipped ‘im in oil

this leather-faced chap

glutinous

for my sweet daughter

would’ve learned quickly

that he aught to choose another

He hasn’t the inner pith

worthy of her hand

in marriage

With the land swelling

with so many others

he ought to extract

one of them instead!

Now though the girl’s father did bulge

so tightly with hot indignation

that we thought he might burst

Well, he had no power in the end

As Willowy Wickopy
and Tall Slender Sally

bound their love together quite tightly

and so then finally

all stood side by side

tall, and erect

as Sally’s father gave her away

to be bound in marriage

Yet all the while
one could see his teeth
grinding minutely
still, he did not refute them

His demeanor did soften somewhat

during the father/daughter dance

as she slowly spiraled around

like a vision of one floating on air

in her dress of  layer upon layer
of fine silk gossamer veils

with a pattern of blossoms

fully opened at the bottom
that changed as they spiralled

up and around the dress
getting smaller and closing up

until they became ribbon buds

fastened at the shoulders on top

This is the end of the story

though a strange one it might be,

I’ll tell you another one day

over a cup of tea!

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Within the writing of this poetry
are hints that act as memory hooks
to help one to recall

some of the properties

of a plant,

plus its uses and looks.

If you'd like to hear them

as I am often on the wing,

You may contact me through

this address ( lovellsimonsjanet_at_yahoo.ca)

then I'll give you a ring.

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