Oranges and Lemons [1]



Marigolds and school chimes

singing dance in the playtime


Three blackbirds* and starlings

were my father’s blessings


Gooseberries and tea

and a graze on my knee


Good little witch

loving lore I am rich


A picture – that’s me

In the sand by the sea


Tasting my toes

making carrot-tops grow


Dreaming immortal

asleep in my bed

Bright little candle

in the land of the dead





*The black blackbird, the brown blackbird, and the white blackbird
- and I don’t forget the lovely thrushes that I must scan in here