When it's Spring again ...

Spring always brings out a childish excitement in me; walking in the woods and on the hills these last few days has been so invigorating.The lovely weather probably won't last for long, but I'm making the most of it whilst it's here! We saw our first bluebell out in Crickley Hill country park on Monday; by Wednesday the woodland floor was carpeted with them. Our first cowslip was on the foothills of Cleeve on Wednesday; singly they never look impressive but en masse they are beautiful and I'm so looking forward to the lemon-yellow haze that will follow there in a few days time.

Violets in the woods
at Crickley

And spring is such a great time for people-watching! At this time of the year they seem to emerge blinking into the sunlight after the long winter's hibernation - pavement cafes are busy again, the gardeners are out in force and children are playing in the parks. I've just started a series of very short poems - snapshots really - inspired by glimpses of people in all sorts of settings. I've always built stories in my head around the man opposite me in the train, staring mournfully out of the window, or the married couple sitting in silence over their meal in a restaurant, and many have made it on to paper. I sometimes wonder what on earth the subjects would make of them if they were ever to read them!

Young Couple At Bristol Parkway 

Stations bookend their loving,
open and close each chapter.

Stranded on a draughty platform
thirty years on,
she'll re-read the romance.  

(Copyright Gill Garrett, 2017)