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Back to the Greenwood

The spring has come to England once again
But I am far away and cannot see
The blackthorn blossoms blowing in the wind,
And blackbirds in the heavens, flying free.
The sun, grown potent, burns the standing stones,
Releasing things enthralled by winter’s hand,
Igniting blood grown cold and mending bones,
Awakening the life-force of the land.
O England, how my heart longs for you now!
Within your hills my fathers’ gods yet sleep.
I would return to you but know not how,
An ocean lies between us, wild and deep.
In dreams then, to the greenwood I will go,
To join the mummers in the Hal-an-Tow.

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Hal-an-Tow: a traditional Cornish May Day song

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Patricia Rogers Crozier has been published in The Washington Post. She holds a B.S. in Physics from Mississippi College. She resides in Gulf Breeze, Florida and works at Publix.

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10 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    This poem enthralled me. Though I am not from England, I can strongly feel the vivid sentiments so beautifully expressed.

    Reply
  3. Cynthia L Erlandson

    I’ve been hoping to see your work here again, Patricia. This is lovely. I can only imagine your longing.

    Reply
  4. Mark Stellinga

    Fingers crossed hard for this sorrowful soul to make it back to England one day. 🙁 A very touching piece, Patricia.

    Reply
  5. Paul A. Freeman

    Thanks for this poem, Patricia. Last summer, I returned to England for a summer job and was based in East and West Sussex.

    Your poem really emphasises the longing I felt before returning, and reminds me of what a joyful experience it turned out to be.

    Thanks for the read, and I hope you get to join the mummers in person next time round.

    Reply
  6. Joseph S. Salemi

    “Hal-an-Tow” – Cornish for “a wreath for the beginning of the month.” This folk custom goes very far back into Celtic times.

    Reply
  7. Shamik Banerjee

    I greatly enjoyed this sonnet, Patricia! It’s my dream to visit England one day.

    Reply
  8. C.B. Anderson

    Egads, Patricia! You have sent me back to the bedrock of my patrilineal heritage. How I miss the old Sherwood!

    Reply
  9. Margaret Coats

    Perfect poem for May Day, Patricia! Reminds us of the earthy, natural and personal and seasonal spirit of the day and month celebrated by so many poets. Though Emily Dickinson says the May-Flower (the flower, not the ship) is how “Nature forswears antiquity,” that can’t apply to the antique Hal-an-Tow. Every year May brings in freshness, in a time-honored way. I remember your “Beltane Dream” of last year, and here you give us another May beauty to stand alongside those of English poets. And of a few Americans, including Sara Teasdale, who also gave us two. Refreshing!

    Reply
  10. V.S.

    Dear Patricia, Your poem is felt with love – love towards the native land and love of Mother Nature !
    Thank You very much for Your talent.
    It reminds us again that we should cherish meadows and forests, oceans that blow romantic air, birds that sing j̄oy, and every living being that fills this world with vividness.
    Nice to notice the role of traditional song in the resurrection.
    God teach this poem to peoples !

    Reply

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