Green Trillium<\/p>\n
(adapted \u00a0Senry\u016b 5, 7, 5)<\/p>\n
By Kate Chamberlin<\/p>\n
April, 2015<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s mishaps and hikes<\/p>\n
in bogs, forests, and meadows<\/p>\n
influence his life.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul is resisting.<\/p>\n
Sarah\u2019s excited to go.<\/p>\n
Grandma has new dog.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Long ride to the farm.<\/p>\n
Paul slumps as cards fall to floor.<\/p>\n
they arrive at the farm.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Smell of polished wood,<\/p>\n
bacon, buttermilk pancakes:<\/p>\n
Paul wakes at Grandma\u2019s.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul visits the pond.<\/p>\n
Peyton Grace follows along.<\/p>\n
trouble is brewing!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bog is dangerous.<\/p>\n
Grandma holds Sarah\u2019s elbow.<\/p>\n
her guide dog is gone.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Marsh Marigold lea,<\/p>\n
Golden Valley of yellow:<\/p>\n
Rare wildflowers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Drumlin forest trail,<\/p>\n
smell of the decaying leaves.<\/p>\n
Paul is not in sight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul sits on Nurse Log.<\/p>\n
sprained ankle is sore ;<\/p>\n
wrap with willow bark.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yew-Go-Wild cards:<\/p>\n
concentration and matching<\/p>\n
old and new flowers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cows slip under fence,<\/p>\n
joke on the Marsh Marigold.<\/p>\n
flowers have two names.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Balcony with roof,<\/p>\n
Jack and Jill in the pulpit:<\/p>\n
a rare, lucky find.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
white, red, and green plants.<\/p>\n
sunlight splashing through the trees:<\/p>\n
Trillium Heaven.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Wake Robin is red,<\/p>\n
its sap is very stinky:<\/p>\n
blossom passing prime.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
toad Shade Trillium,<\/p>\n
three white petals but no stem:<\/p>\n
rare Sessile trillium.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Squirrel Corn, Ginger,<\/p>\n
Rattle Snake Fern, Skunk Cabbage,<\/p>\n
False Solomon\u2019s Seal.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Surprised by spring rain.<\/p>\n
race to falling down old shack.<\/p>\n
Rainbow\u2019s apt Blessing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sarah reads in car<\/p>\n
re: Jane Colden, botanist,<\/p>\n
souvenir from visit.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s new sticker book:<\/p>\n
Dutchman\u2019s Britches in a row,<\/p>\n
dry on sunny day.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yew-Go-Wild deck:<\/p>\n
Native American use<\/p>\n
Blood Root juice as paint.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul soon fell asleep.<\/p>\n
cards fall to floor like flowers<\/p>\n
in Drumlin Forest.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul anxious to go.<\/p>\n
Sarah re-reads Jane Colden.<\/p>\n
Here we come Grandma!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Banister as slide;<\/p>\n
breakfast sausage and waffles<\/p>\n
with strawberry Jam.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hike with a whistle<\/p>\n
around Paul\u2019s neck on lanyard;<\/p>\n
blow if in trouble.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Grandma hears whistle.<\/p>\n
Straw hat on Grandma\u2019s grey curls .<\/p>\n
Harness dog, head out.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Swish pass Day Lilies,<\/p>\n
bees buzz from flower to bloom,<\/p>\n
mosquitoes whine, dine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Spy Black-eyed Susans,<\/p>\n
wanders to find Sweet William;<\/p>\n
forever as one.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tweet! Goes Paul\u2019s whistle.<\/p>\n
hurry into Drumlin woods.<\/p>\n
head to hollow log.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul climbed to light.<\/p>\n
ant scared him when dropped on face.<\/p>\n
he is wedged in tight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hollow trunk of Beech<\/p>\n
traps Paul within its darkness;<\/p>\n
inch down to safety.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Look for summer blooms:<\/p>\n
Blue Coshes had set berry clusters,<\/p>\n
little blue berries.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
False Solomon\u2019s Seal:<\/p>\n
small, whitish, speckled berry clusters,<\/p>\n
Tall leafy stems.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Colored tapestry:<\/p>\n
Joe-Pye Weed, Mouse-eyed Hogweed,<\/p>\n
shimmer in sunlight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Glacier carved Drumlin.<\/p>\n
wild flowers grow only here:<\/p>\n
do not dig them up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Siblings are ready!<\/p>\n
awake to woods on fire;<\/p>\n
trees hit by sunlight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Maple and Beech leaves<\/p>\n
peek autumnal foliage<\/p>\n
aflame by sunlight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Trail mix and a hike.<\/p>\n
things are different at Grandma\u2019s:<\/p>\n
behavior is good.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pods like angel wings,<\/p>\n
fluffy seeds blow everywhere.<\/p>\n
Milkweed pods have burst.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Little bird in nest,<\/p>\n
Queen Anne\u2019s Lace smells like carrot.<\/p>\n
match Yew-Go-Wild cards.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Evening campfire songs.<\/p>\n
toasted marshmallows are good.<\/p>\n
Peace and quiet reign.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Snow blankets the bog.<\/p>\n
cracks are heard from frozen trees.<\/p>\n
ice skate on pond.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Snowshoes shush on trails.<\/p>\n
our breath turns to ice crystals.<\/p>\n
skates scrape on the ice.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When the brook gurgles,<\/p>\n
ice melts, seed packets arrive,<\/p>\n
Spring is very near.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Quilt as souvenir.<\/p>\n
snowshoes for Paul\u2019s souvenir.<\/p>\n
last glimpse of Grandma.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Deadly, icy roads.<\/p>\n
Grandma, Granddad, and Peyton<\/p>\n
Die in the car crash.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Clan gathers at farm:<\/p>\n
bog and Drumlin Woods willed to<\/p>\n
Land Preservation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I like Botany.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll become a Botanist.<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s career is set.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Last hike to the bog.<\/p>\n
Binoculars bring plants close,<\/p>\n
spot Green Trillium.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Their tears begin then:<\/p>\n
a double Green Trillium,<\/p>\n
tan toad next to base.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Grandma had told them<\/p>\n
true soul mates always return<\/p>\n
to the place they love.<\/p>\n
\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fin —<\/p>\n
Based on \u201cGreen Trillium\u201d, a children\u2019s book \u00a0by Kate Chamberlin, illustrated by Mia Surakka, 209, Trafford Publishers, \u00a9 209 by Kate Chamberlin. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n
From the book jacket: Childhood can be rough on a kid.\u00a0 They\u2019re told to do this, go there, and so many other things they\u2019d rather not do.\u00a0 9-year old Paul rebels at having to make the long trip to visit blind Grandma Grace and her old house in the country.\u00a0 Paul would rather stay home with his friends, play with his trading cards, and swim at the YMCA.\u00a0 His 12-year old sister, Sarah,\u00a0 often tries to boss him around, causing a lot of friction.<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s independent and defiant streek gets him a sprained ankle, stuck in a hollow tree, and other mishaps when he strikes off on his own into the acid bog and drumlin woods near Grandma\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
During hikes with Sarah, Grandma, and her guide dog, the lure and lore of the many wildflowers that grow in the acid bog, meadows, and drumlin woods captivate Paul, changing his attitude toward life as he discovers the botanist within himself.<\/p>\n