Oh sing we now the Holy Weeds
That flourish in the ditch,
For they are for the meek in needs,
They are not for the rich.
You cannot buy them at the mall,
Nor at the superstore,
They are despised because they all
Grow freely for the poor.
The Dandelion shoots, for spring,
Before their flowers burst;
The Burdock root is best in June
When it is fat with juice;
When autumn comes, the Acorn's ripe,
the Walnut black is too;
Young Milkweed pods are sweet when boiled,
And Milkweed shoots when new.
The inner bark of Spruce and Birch
For extra Vitamin C --
But do not take too much of each,
Or you will kill the tree.
The Purslane, Sorrel, Lamb's Quarters,
and Nettles, too, are good;
The Hawthorn, Elder, Sumac, Rose --
Their berries wholesome food.
The holy weeds are plentiful
And beautiful to see --
For who can doubt God put them there,
So starved we'll never be.
-- Margaret Atwood (from The God's Gardeners Oral Hymnbook in The Year of the Flood)
