Carpe Diem #52, Silver Birch

Dear haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today we will find our inspiration in Silver Birch a wonderful tree, with his white/silverish skin. I have sought out the WWW for some more background information on the Silver Birch.

Renewal and Purification

• Following the last Ice Age, the robust and weather-hardy birch tree would have been among the first to re-colonize ice-ravaged landscape. In botanical terms, it is known as a pioneer species. In Celtic mythology, therefore, the birch is a symbol of renewal and purification.

Steps to Heaven

• The birch tree is one of the national trees of Russia. In Siberia, shamans use the tree for initiation rituals. A candidate carves nine notches in the trunk of a birch to represent the nine steps to heaven of shamanic folklore.

Love

• In German folklore, the birch is regarded as a tree of life and was traditionally used to make maypoles, around which lovers danced. Welsh folklore associates the birch tree with love, too; lovers met under a birch tree.

Protection

• In the Swedish city Umea, according to popular legend, the silver birch tree halted a fire that nearly burned the city to the ground in 1888. Silver birch trees are now planted all over the city. In Celtic mythology, the birch was used to protect against evil. Babies' rattles and cradles were made of birch (Source: Meaning of Birches )

Credits: Silver Birch lane

Now we have learned a bit more about the Silver Birch I think we can write a wonderful haiku about it. Let's give it a try ...

in pale moonlight
silver birches look like ghosts
rustling leaves

rustling leaves
in the Autumn sunlight
like golden coins

like golden coins
the goldplated birch leaves
in pale moonlight

I hope you all enjoyed the read. This prompt will stay on 'till November 25th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new prompt rain, provided by Bjorn Brudberg, today around 10.00 PM (CET)

Have fun, be creative and inspired ... share your haiku with Carpe Diem.