MESOSTIC HERBARIUM
Alec Finlay (2003)

The language of flora is one of beauty and healing. The idea that names are magical and conceal secret knowledge has always been with us.

You are invited to compose one or more mesostic poems using the letters of a chosen plant’s name to form a ‘stem’ from which single-word lines branch out.

By researching plant lore and the healing effects of herbs and flower remedies you mesostic poem can reveal some of the hidden properties of the plant that you have chosen.

An anthology, Mesostic herbarium, containing a generous selection of mesostics by poets from around the world was published in 2004. A new selection will appear as a web-book in Spring 2006.