Old superstitions die hard. Rationalist that I am, I prefer to encounter two magpies rather than one, avoid black cats and tend not to walk under ladders. Ancient tree-worship is surely the basis of the modern superstition of touching wood to ward off bad luck. Amazingly, these old rituals continue survive in the modern age.
TOUCH WOOD
Who knows the age of this gnarled tree
that stands behind the old church wall?
They say, at least a century,
and now its sturdy branches sprawl
like outspread hands to left and right
and, on the graves, cast dappled light.
The congregation of this place
regard their church with piety:
here they achieve a state of grace,
cast off doubts and anxiety,
but others, and there are a few,
in passing, touch the old tree too.
For a very different kind of verse visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/richard.fleming.92102564/
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