The Queen of May

May Day is gathered together in Nowhere Wood. The guests are all assembled, having arrived in timely order, ready for the magical day.

First to arrive was the wild garlic, clean and green with the freshness of a memory of good times around the family table.

Then the first bluebell opened up to the sky, followed by the others, forming a coloured haze beneath the trees, daring the sky to lose its heavy April clouds to show its true May colours.

Then the big oaks open their leaves, delicate and shimmering in the sunshine, before they darken and spread a curtain over the wood.

Oceans of cow parsley flow over the floor of the cleared wood, where tall, sickly, ash trees once stood. This is the First of May, celebrating new starts and the freedom to enjoy the light.

And, finally, the Queen of May, the Hawthorn, blooming proudly here and across the Park.

Hers is the glory, the scent and the crisp whiteness. Entwined together, the branches strengthen their appeal and magic.

Once in this place, the villagers would plait her blossoms into a crown and choose the fairest maid to be their Queen of the May. This is not a crown of thorns: today it is a crown of promise.

Then, the village children would dance and twist their maypole ribbons to form a perfect spiral of red and white. This was one day when they could leave the chalky gloom of their school rooms and breathe.

In the engine room of wood, it is just another working day, the animals are busy with family business, since being and becoming is a lifetime’s quest: nests need to be built up, offspring fed and protected from danger. The real magic is that it all works: the dance of the DNA spiral that continues year after year, in a stately and predictable procession.

But perhaps, the wood also senses that today is a special day.

Happy May Day!

1. Why do you think it is an advantage for small plants living on the floor of the wood (like bluebells) to flower early, before the tall trees get their new leaves?
2. Why do you think celebrating May Day was important part of village life in Nowhere?

 

Notes on the story

Being and becoming in Nowhere Wood