This is a poem by National Poet of Wales, Ifor ap Glyn that was written to celebrate St David’s Day 2017.
Umbrella Welsh
It rains so often
in our stormy world,
but your spokes always lock
in a hemisphere above my head;
and I can float through our people’s wit,
hanging by one arm beneath your wing.
For some, you simply can’t be opened,
but rolling you tight
lends a Welsh spring
to our step;
and we lift you, like a narrow flag,
to guide visitors to our history,
to an alternate reality, that’s open to all…
You are that brolly,
that melds our world,
as long as you’re jointly held,
– whether open or furled…
Ifor ap Glyn
National Poet of Wales