Farewell to April

Tonight is Beltane Eve, Walpurgisnacht, May Eve! To wrap up National Poetry Month, I give you Beltane-themed poems. Blessed be!


"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill."
-   Robert Frost, A Prayer for Spring


The Blossom On The Bough 


Two sonnets for May, and my muse

The fires are lit, my lover, and the hills
are flickering with little points of light
The sun is set, and deep within the rills
the seeds of stars are littering the night 
The smoke is rising, lover, rising high
in winding spires of ribbons in the air
and in the rivers where the willows cry
and on the leys the ancient druids dare 
to walk, the chalk is glowing. I know you
will never leap the Beltane fires with me
or rise on one May morning in the dew
beside me, spellbound by my poetry  
Or so it seems. But oh, my lover, how  
the blossom burns, so brightly on the bough

The maypole’s up, my lover, on the green
its willow ribbons flutter in the breeze
I would you be my king, and I your queen
for one night only, here beneath the trees 
The hawthorn froths, my lover, in the hedge
the buds are bursting, birds are nesting high
yet still you fly, my hawk, above the edge
of some cold mountain way up in the sky
Come down, or are you wary that a flame
might fall within your feathers, or a spark 
ignite your heart, or god forbid, you came
to want to stay beside me in the dark
It’s so, it seems. But see, my lover, now
the blossom burning brighter on the bough

© Gail Foster 1st May 2018




Beltane Chase

Hid in the dark pretending to be blind
& you found me with words
Clothed myself in light, thinking you’d search the shadows
But you knew my thought
Took shelter in noise to shut out the silence
& was revealed when no sound would touch me
Embraced the silence & refused to speak
But the words began to haunt me
So I stood before you
& spoke my story
& you made it rain for me                         
Copyright © | Year Posted 2005
A Poem for Beltane

Caught between the twilight of spring and summer
Among apple blossom and bluebell's corridor,
We give a nod of respect to the old ways
Hail Beltane, time now to leap the fire,
Jumping flames,time to throw away inhibition
Passion  released as we dance round and round,
Feasting on colour ,in celebration of all shades of life
Emerging triumphant out of the depths of death and dreaming,
The goddess awakening, abundant, joyful, and benevolent
There is beauty in the world, so much power lies in the land,
Bringing joy to cancel out sorrow, to lift us with change
Sacred elements of air, fire, water, earth and spirit,
Let Beltane's warmth in and feel magic unfold
Forget the cares, that worries often bring,
May your songs soar into the night
Your dancing be full of life and strength,
Earth mother opening up to the fertility god
Queen of may and jack o'green laying on the grass,
Sap rising with the embrace of longing
With love in hearts, people bonding,
Petals unfurling releasing the scent of unity
Seeds are sown, rich and poor join in  revelry
All night fires will spiral, hilltops glimmer
Far above the stars shine and shimmer,
Towards the brightening horizon of dreams

photo from




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