Blood Root by Kaitlyn Walsh

There once was a woman who married the forest
White rose petals spread along her aisle
Yarrow a bouquet
Blueberry like ceremonial kisses
An arbor of cedar and sweet fern
There once was a woman who birthed corn and beans and squash
Warm soil her womb
Flames and songs kept for generations to come
Sunflower, amaranth, marigold
Seed chaff like placenta
There once was a woman who walked alone
Grateful for her wild heart
She treasured the smell of sweetgrass and bear grease
A matriarch in her own right
She rarely waited
But always stayed open to untamed love
There once was a woman who learned to fly
With asemaa rushing down river
Her power weaved worlds that floated in air
Clouds alive
She savored the wind
Celebrated thunderstorms
Like eagles clutching each others in pairs
She tumbled to earth on her own
Her raw passion enough to risk a crash landing
Indeed, land was her reward
There once was a man who slept underground
The world burned above him
He heard a cry
Emerged into fields of fireweed glowing in the haze of a pink sun
He gathered his plant friends
He prepared
Tea to help her tears, he thought
Wintergreen to soothe aches and pains
Bloodroot might be the one
We’ll see
Bag full of medicines
He hoped one day he would find her