Rose hips A widdershins moment

At the Tea Room they serve rose petal tea
and I recall how we children nibbled in coldest winter days
the soft skin of the rose hips left on the bush above the snow

In spring it was the peppermint taste
of violet stems and the delight of the first wild strawberry
from a sunny spot

Hazelnuts in fall, we could hardly wait
until the outer shell was dry and prickly
and the ripened nut inside, as big as the tip of a child's finger

Rose petal taste is delicate
pretty as the flower
but the leaves of the cottonwood are sticky

Stems of the dandelion
bitter and sharp but not so dry
on the mouth as a ripe chokecherry

Wild raspberries tiny and likely
to be occupied, watch carefully
and look before tasting

Saskatoons leave fingers purple
but so delicious that we could hardly
reach home with our pails full

Ah, childhood, country of memories, and dreams