Daisy in my hand
I play beside the hedgerows
faery mischief hides
Daisy in my hair
I wander the forest’s edge
looking for my love
Sky full of daisies
my own faery enchantment
everything has changed
Crowns made of daisies
my faery lover and I
forest entwinement
Hello friends! As always, for this month’s Folklore Friday I am indebted to Icy Sedgwick for her wonderfully accessible and entertaining blogpost about daisies and their folklore.
In this poem, I wanted to include the two folk beliefs regarding children holding a daisy to protect them from faery kidnapping and young women wearing a single daisy to attract a faithful lover.
I love contrasts, turning ideas on their heads, forests, mystery, the unexpected–I could go on, but you get the point. While stories about faery lovers are hardly unexpected or new, I couldn’t resist the idea that sprang to life as I thought about these folk beliefs.
What is growing up, if not seeking paths beyond the unknown and finding solace in things we once had to avoid? What is love, if not its own potent, transformative magic?
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this poem. Starting next month, I am going to share poems inspired by folklore of herbs, plus a special May Day poem just for subscribers. Before you go, would you let me know if you prefer my author notes before or after the poem?
I really enjoy your Folklore Friday posts, dear Steph!
I'm looking forward to more writing inspired by folklore!