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I am thrilled to have permission to post this poem by Irish poet Pat Ingoldsby . It follows the theme from week 8 .

OF TREES AND ME

Leaning against a fragrant brown telegraph pole,
waiting for my bus,
breathing in the rich aroma of creosote
which was leaking out,
and loving the tarry scent of it.
“Excuse me” said the pole quietly.
“Were you a tree once?”
“Goodness… no,” I said. “I’m a person.”
“Yes,” said the pole. “But are you sure
you weren’t a tree?”
“Sure, I am. I was a baby, then a small boy,
a teenager and a man like I am now.”
And suddenly, before I needed to say anymore,
my bus came and with great relief,
I was gone.
Lying in bed later that night,
I was thinking about the pole
which is just across the road from my house.
I was thinking about it a lot.
Part of me was going to get up,
get dressed, go across the road
and tell a convincing lie to it.
But sleep came
and for the second time that day,
I was gone.

Pat Ingoldsby, April 2019

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“You and the tree in your backyard come from a common ancestor. A billion and a half years ago, the two of you parted ways. But even now, after an immense journey in separate directions, that tree and you still share a quarter of your genes. . . .”
― Richard Powers, The Overstory

Some thoughts on putting things into perspective……

There is only one type of DNA which all animals and plants share. It is not surprising that animals and plants have a large portion of their genes in common. Some key genes that direct metabolic processes in humans are conserved and similar to those found in plants and are recognized as having a common origin.

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This week’s  tree story comes from a city whose people are in our hearts and on our minds .

This story comes from someone who often visits Wuhan.

‘When I am in Wuhan I frequently visit friends in Hanyang near St Columban’s Cathedral, a short distance from where the Han River enters the much bigger Yangtze River. Almost as impressive as the Yangtze River is the towering 550-year-old ginkgo tree that stands across the road . Under its shadow stands Wuhan’s Number 5 Hospital. In recent weeks this hospital was designated to receive patients suffering from the coronavirus.

Hanyang’s famous ginkgo tree has witnessed many historical events. Dynasties have come and gone, floods have risen and abated and wars have taken their toll on the people. Now as the tree stands without leaves following the visit of another winter, it is witness to an event that poses as big a challenge as any that has gone before. Considering its long years, perhaps it is no surprise that the tree is now protected within a neat compound. An elderly couple living in small home at the compound entrance ensures that the tree and its history are protected.’ Anonymous

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week 3 Willows on Xiaojie qiao , oil on canvas 120 x 100cm 倪芙瑞莲Niamh Cunningham 2012

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Week 3 – The king has donkey’s ears

One day , the kings messenger called at the home of a widow.

“ The King has a special job for your son ,  he must come to see the king tomorrow” she was told.

The woman was very worried. Once a year the king summoned a
barber to cut his hair. But no barber ever returned after his visit to the king.
The widow’s son was a barber.

No one knew that the king had a terrible secret. He had very strange ears which actually  looked like ears of a donkey.  To hide them he needed to have a special haircut . Every barber who cut the king’s hair had been put to death immediately so that he could never reveal the kings terrible secret.

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