The Scots term Makar can be used for anyone creating poetry and is akin to being called a bard. However, The Makar is our national poet - think Poet Laureate - and right now we are lucky enough to have Kathleen Jamie in that role. Kathleen is a writer I am in awe of - her ability to shine a light on how us human-types navigate the natural world steals breath and her economy of words is something I can only aspire to. This book, The Tree House, tells tales of encounters with animals, birds and other humans that propose a way of living that recognises the earth as home to many different consciousnesses ( I nicked that bit from the blurb on the back…) and shows us a means of authentic engagement with ‘this, the only world’ (I nicked that bit too). I am absolutely here for that and her words speak to something inside me that can feel dormant as I try to navigate the chaos that is the world today.
And, as for the hitting coins into the trunk, bough or bark of a tree. It’s a tradition that is prevalent throughout the UK and is pagan in origin, with the owner of coin making a wish and/or looking to be healed of illness or misfortune. It continues to this day, but is actively discouraged as it is pretty grim for the trees and as per the The Wishing Tree poem, it’s far from ideal to be ‘…poisoned / choking on the small change / of human hope…’
Find out more about Kathleen and take a deep dive into her writing here - kathleenjamie.com
The Wishing Tree by Kathleen Jamie