Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Illustration by Jackie Morris from The Lost Spells.
Illustration by Jackie Morris from The Lost Spells.
Illustration by Jackie Morris from The Lost Spells.

Poem of the month: jay by Robert Macfarlane

This article is more than 3 years old

Jay, Jay, plant me an acorn.
I will plant you a thousand acorns.

Acorn, acorn, grow me an oak.
I will grow you an oak that will live
for a thousand years.

Year, year, fledge me a Jay.
I will fledge you a Jay that will plant
you a thousand acorns that will each
grow a thousand oaks that will each
live a thousand years that will each
fledge a bright-backed, blue-winged,
forest-making Jay.

From The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, published by Hamish Hamilton (£14.99). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

Most viewed

Most viewed