Floral Tribute

Evening will come, however determined the late afternoon,
Limes and oaks in their last green flush, pearled in September mist.
I have conjured a lily to light these hours, a token of thanks,
Zones and auras of soft glare framing the brilliant globes.
A promise made and kept for life – that was your gift –
Because of which, here is a gift in return, glovewort to some,
Each shining bonnet guarded by stern lance-like leaves.
The country loaded its whole self into your slender hands,
Hands that can rest, now, relieved of a century’s weight.

Evening has come. Rain on the black lochs and dark Munros.
Lily of the Valley, a namesake almost, a favourite flower
Interlaced with your famous bouquets, the restrained
Zeal and forceful grace of its lanterns, each inflorescence
A silent bell disguising a singular voice. A blurred new day
Breaks uncrowned on remote peaks and public parks, and
Everything turns on these luminous petals and deep roots,
This lily that thrives between spire and tree, whose brightness
Holds and glows beyond the life and border of its bloom.

Simon Armitage, poet laureate

Though The Queen was surrounded by grandeur a commentator observed that she wasn't grand. I love that Simon Armitage has chosen for his Floral Tribute acrostic, not showy Oriental, Asiatic or Arum lilies but sweet-smelling, though rather weedy, lily of the valley, the late Queen's favourite flower. I was interested that it was known as glovewort as it used to be made into an ointment for sore overworked hands, perfect for our hardworking late Queen Elizabeth II. Lily of the valley blooms in May and is a sign of ancient woodland. The Princess of Wales had it in her wedding bouquet. It's lovely that the natural world and landscapes of the UK feature in the poem.

When I read the poem this morning I immediately thought muguet and of my granny. She used to love muguet 'scent' as we called it. I wondered if it was still available. I tested Acqua di Parma Lily of the Valley in John Lewis but baulked at £250.00 and got Yardley in Boots for my image. Sadly the flowers are 'silk'.