summer’s senescence

mid august:
when the solstice wort wilts
to seedcase, stem,
and the last trying bud
and the stars of solidago
light up
one by one
to illuminate the meadow
with the last golden hour
of a waning sun

grazed yarrow stalks
raise a final inflorescence
of pungent clarity
as thujone meets
an ancestral prophecy

like as the deer sees,
still chomping their teeth,
an antlered, hooved—
from below and above—
knowing

like bee-hive
skeletons ripe with seed
on this stalk
teeming with
what’s to come

but only after
Cailleach
now lets die
what need
be lost

simple updates

Rather than the depth of newsletter I often offer, I come now only with this poem. Perhaps if your late-summer days feel as filled to the brim as mine, this might offer some space. Space, like what was revealed to me today as a Septembered breeze cut through the thick summer air.

Yarrow, tulsi, self-heal, solstice wort, and goldenrod now dry in my baskets. My focus has been on tending, harvesting, and processing plant-kin, and now I shift into straining, bottling, and offering medicine. Stay tuned for new creations to be released. These days, I am working slowly, especially alongside my toddler son who now animates his little body with such vibrancy and intensity.

Thanks for your patience as orders take more time to fulfill. And I also bow with so much gratitude to those who generously donated for me and Linden to attend Forest & Village. The gathering stoked the embers for me to dream a more community-centered life into being.

In the spirit of crowdsourcing and the support of community, I also wanted to give a heads up that I finally set up paid subscriptions for my newsletter. This is so folks can support my work with $5/month or $3.50/month if they’re feeling called. If you pledged your support in the past, your payments are now active. Nothing else about my newsletter is changing, for now. The posts and archive will remain open for all.

upcoming

Speaking of community, I wanted to remind that the next Herbal Ally Gathering in the Rondout Community Garden in Kingston is upcoming this Friday 8/22, 6pm. If Fourth Fridays do not work for you this season, I am happy to find another date to introduce you to the garden. Reach out!

Also, I will be vending Woodstock Farm Festival next week on Wednesday, August 27th from 3-7pm.

That’s all for now. Thank you all so much for being here. I look forward to getting pen to paper more as the herbs wane in the coming months.

Take care,
Jordann

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