Welcome May, May King, May Queen;

Leading processions to bring the new month in;

On the cusp of a brand new Summer season;

Gaelic festival of the Fires of Bel, and bonfires of Beltane.

Welcome May, baskets full of wildflowers;

Beautiful blossoms from the rain of April showers;

Livestock return to pasture, to roam free again;

Children run in bare feet, quick and nimble like mini-hurricanes.

Welcome May, Jack-in-the-Green of milk pail fame;

Dancing figure of foliage in a wicker-wood frame;

Embodiment of the Spirit of Spring, we bid thee farewell;

As once our ancestors, fair maidens, danced to bless the coming of the milk.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf