Artwork by Daniela Stubbs. Image courtesy of the artist
boil boil trouble and
toil silvered in moon’s eclipse
slips of yew double
You, yes you, because I still don’t know what it means when an elemental poet says beautiful Eocene fossil yew. A few snowflakes fall between the tree and the hollow ground. Those yew trees are grown over the fence now. The oldest tree in Wales defies the dendrochronologists in fragments of wood and blood red sap. Itself, summing enormous offshoots. The home of the handsome demon who resides in Llangerniew Denbighshire. Watch the lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing. The spotted owl, Athena, sitting in her western yew. Taxus brevifolia, give taxol from their bark and who remembers when taxol was always the answer. Organic chemists remember partial and total synthesis; the leaves are still needed. Those yew trees are grown over the fence now. This woman planted yew trees because it was such a great shame to be buried at the edge of the cemetery. This woman was buried beside those yew trees. Canadian yew, Chinese yew, Japanese yew, Florida yew, Mexican yew, Sumatran yew, Himalayan yew, European yew beside the ancient, recording angel recording demon of death, the Angelystor.
~ Julia Rose Lewis
Julia Rose Lewis is working on her PhD in Creative Writing at Cardiff University. Zarf Poetry published her pamphlet, ‘Zeroing Event’, in 2016, and Finishing Line Press will publish ‘Exhalation Halves Lambda’ in 2017.
