Midwinter Mistletoe

Tenaciously grasping the bough, your host

Pollinated by the generous Mistle Thrush

A seed germinating in the bark, waits a year long

For pale green, tender young shoots to appear

 

Forceful evergreen twigs, with fleshy stems

Weave a dense, tangled, peridot sphere

Vigorous leaves decorated with berries

As fine as waxy white pearls

 

Branches once used to fashion witches’ brooms

With unbridled energy, form an impenetrable mass

Growing abundantly along tree limbs

Flowering and fruiting fully, for the midwinter solstice

 

The chaste Victorian lady could not refuse a kiss

When at a Christmas Ball

She stood beneath this fairy plant

To do so, would ensure ill-fortune