Litany of the Spring Flowers

It goes like this:



First, snowdrops stand alone against the winter.


Then pussywillows, primroses, daffodils by the roadside.



Next, lesser celandine, delicate windflowers, sweet purple violets.



(A gradual greening of the hedges and trees)



Blackthorn blossoms. A sudden abundance of dandelions.



Cowslips, lady's smock, daisies, forget-me-nots.



Stitchwort stars the bank, speedwells sprawl in grass, ferns unfurl tender fronds.



Bluebells, Queen Anne's lace, red campion, buttercups, jack-by-the-hedge, ramsons.



A froth of sweet-sickly hawthorn flowers.



Red clover, Welsh poppies, ox eye daises, early purple orchids, greater celandine, columbine, wild strawberries.



The momentum increases and as summer erupts I am overwhelmed in a profusion of foxgloves thistles woodruff meadowsweet birds' foot trefoil tufted vetch corn poppies knapweed rosebay willowherb purple loosestrife wild roses honeysuckle brambles mullein figwort...



...and I find myself out under the sun walking barefoot on soft grass listening to birdsong and smiling at the foolishness of lists.