Lichen

Mary Mulholland

Afterwards I see lichen everywhere, 
learn how it answers to many names: 
gold dust, reindeer-moss. Its lasting
relationship makes the whole more
than the sum of its parts and blurs
the idea of being 'individual'.

Alga, fungus – symbiotic, giving
and taking – autotroph, heterotroph,
a shared making from weaknesses
and strengths; a unique 'us'
that thrives, where the air is pure,
perhaps not unlike siblings.

In my sister's garden, lichen veils
the birch tree where we scattered 
her ashes. It laces the stone wall 
where she fed robins and bluetits 
with crumbs from her toaster. Too
late, how little I knew.

The Science

My initial inspiration came following my sister's death when I was in Finland, surrounded by birch and fascinated by lichens. I read Robin Wall Kimmerer's Gathering Moss in which she writes about lichens. A recent BBC documentary details an app that has been developed by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology to record local air quality. Lichens are highly sensitive to air pollution. At present the app focusses on lichens growing on two tree types, oak and birch. Using the app to discover the presence or absence of lichen on a tree will reveal the Nitrogen Air Quality Index. The poem uses lichen as a model of interdependence, connecting ecological awareness with personal grief. 

Discover more at: https://www.apis.ac.uk/nitrogen-lichen-field-manual

The Poet

Dr. Alan KeMary Mulholland is a London-based poet and editor whose work explores relationships between humans, the natural world and beyond. Find out more about Mary and her poetry at www.marymulholland.co.uk.

Next poem: Lough by Alan Kennedy-Asser