Gathering

By Ellie Bates

winterberry dressed the curve in the road along Mill Pond
her naked branches burst with red berries
carefully I step to cut several stems as cars speed by
add them to crimson stalks from the pond’s edge

in the quiet of the forest, I continue a seasonal gathering
common juniper’s green needles hold lapis berries
prized for making gin and once used to cure hunger
when burned a fragrance so soothing provides magical clarity

red cedar’s sap clings to my fingers   the pungent smell lingers
its stickiness deters insects from harming wood
with gratitude I feel safe   carry more evergreen branches
white pine   spruce    hemlock   fir  pitch pine

like the ancients I keep the ritual year after year
bring natural abundance into my home
a ceremony to ward off winter’s darkness
with vibrant blue and red berries decked in green

Ellie Bates lives in Edgartown year round and enjoys writing poetry with the Cleaveland House Poets and the MV Poets’ Collective.

Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to Laura Roosevelt at .