The Green Man by Daniel Kay

A large tree in the middle of green woodland. Large white text reads: The Green Man. Smaller text reads: Discussing disabled characters in fairy tales and folklore.

​He strides among the saplings,
the meadows and the groves.
He whispers to the seedlings,
befriends the oldest of trees, the newborn younglings.
 
He is where the ceaseless tick-tock stream begins,
where the river of time starts flowing.
He is the several endings
in a seamless cycle unending --
 
Spring blossoms upon the green boughs,
as he awakens the slumbering folks.
In summer, he is a brush that runs on empty canvas,
sprinkling green leaves with brilliant radiance.
Autumn is when he changes colour,
leaves a trace of maple, adds a little flavour.
In winter, he slows down his pace and reflects,
making sure in the next cycle, not a soul is left unchecked.
 
He remembers
a distinct cracking noise on an egg,
the migrating birds from the west,
accompanied with foxes and rabbits, such splendid guests!
The unfurling petals upon a stem;
an eagle’s return to her nest;
the falling leaves that wither in the air;
a dying beast that is put to rest…
 
So if you see the Green Man on a bushy trail,
sit down, take a break.
Hear his marvellous tales,
witness his mystical magic, the cradle of life,
feel a fleeting moment, with a thousand years entailed…
 
As the sun rises and sets,
as the daylight dazzles and disappears,
he is, and he will always be here.

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About the author:
I'm Daniel Kay, and I'm a cerebral palsy poet, author, podcast scriptwriter and music producer. I'm also vegan (don't worry, I won't ramble on about it). I started writing in 2017 to combat my drinking, and so far I'm succeeding. However, I didn't begin to perform until 2020. Since then, I've released a book titled A View From A Wheelchair, curated an anthology raising money for the Birmingham Dogs Home titled Poetry Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas, and posted videos of some of my poems to music I produce on YouTube. I love nature and believe that we must protect it, so I write about it. I also write about my personal experiences with CP in order to help others understand. Additionally, I co-led a workshop and co-hosted an episode of WORD Stafford. I also started writing scripts for The (not so) Perfect Crime podcast in 2022.

My website is https://www.dk4poetry.com/, and my social media and YouTube channel is DK4 Poetry.