Black Thorn, White Blossom

The blackthorn is flowering – “spring stars” – with the promise of many sloes this autumn. Strange to think of autumn now, when the spring has only just begun. But that is the nature of things.

Prunus spinosa

In a Blackthorn Spring

Even if I knew
Icelandic names for snow,
or spoke a thousand
densities of white,
from Queen Ann’s lace

to campion to ice

or melted glacial crystals
on my tongue
to sweat new words

they would not paint
this blossom held to blue:
spring stars
hatched from rapier boughs,
the bitter sloes of winter.

by Lynne Wycherley