Lawren
our neighbour’s magnolia buds
folded in winter’s shortest days
I watch them over the fence
you dream how to press a flower
a present for your lover
she writes poems
walkersby pick sweet lemons
a friend leaves pickled rinds
you talk to a snail
step over its path and remark
on safer paths to wander
our garden and the hill sing back
magpies carol you home
blooms grow
held in frosts’
swell
© Sarah St Vincent Welch 2025
