"Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme" by John C. Mannone

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme

John C. Mannone

     After “Scarborough Fair” by Simon & Garfunkel

     Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme

     She once was a true love of mine

My heart skips

I peek through the trellis—    

But now her new lover is holding her hand

     She once was a true love of mine

I turn away

My heart still skips

I peek through the trellis

     All around, parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme

But the air is not as fresh as it once was.

I cannot turn away

I cannot hold my breath

But I close my eyes

     She once was a true love of mine

But still hear her voice longing for someone else

I hold my breath

I close my eyes

     To parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme

Yet still smell the bittergreen air

My heart skips, I hold my breath,

I don’t want to turn away

I peek through the trellis just one more time

Then close my eyes, for a moment

     I smell parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme

     She once was a true love of mine

Poet’s Notes:  “Scarborough Fair” is a traditional English ballad set in the Yorkshire town of Scarborough. The song relates the tale of a young man who instructs the listener to tell his former love to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she completes these tasks he will take her back. Often the song is sung as a duet (see the end of the document for the lyrics), with the woman then giving her lover a series of equally impossible tasks, promising to give him his seamless shirt once he has finished. 

I am frequently reminded of the Simon & Garfunkel song around Thanksgiving. I once didn’t know what herbs to use in making stuffing, but “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme” seemed a good starting place.

Editor’s Note:  This is a lovely modern take on the balladic form.  I enjoy the way John works the lyrics and the feel of one of my favorite songs into it.  An extended version of “Scarborough Fair” may be enjoyed here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BakWVXHSug, or a shorter version here https://youtu.be/qdz8m_PImwI.

ref:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarborough_Fair_(ballad)