The Closing Bloom

Poetry and Christmas cards

I’ve been thick with autumnal depression lately, struggling to write.

Cogs are starting to turn, and I will return soon with the usual hot takes, but, in the meantime, here’s a poem which the muse planted in me last Spring:

The Closing Bloom

In the final year the flowers bloomed
Cowslips came to herald something other than before

In the final year the flowers bloomed
A field of tiny sycamores refused on conscientious grounds

In the final year the flowers bloomed
Umbellifers in flexing constellations hypnotised us all

In the final year the flowers bloomed
The stars and planets withdrew and, unjudging, they observed the fall

In the final year the flowers bloomed
The hawthorn held off until June and then exploded finally

In the final year the flowers bloomed
Tiny vetch reached higher than a human aping poplar trees

In the final year the flowers bloomed
Self-heal, woundwort, eye-bright stole their Latin names and buried them

In the final year the flowers bloomed
Daisies held us prisoner, distracting us from everything

In the final year the flowers bloomed
The hedgehog hid her apples in the London counties far from home

In the final year the flowers bloomed
The heather moors refused to burn but kept their own enchanted flame

In the final year the flowers bloomed
Hydrangea and hellebore endured, elusive, evermore

Peakrill Press News

Chris Barker has designed some wonderful Christmas cards, inspired by well-known artworks, which we’re now selling on the Peakrill shop. Get your Cezanne’s Greetings Cards here.

Embiggening Others

If you haven’t yet discovered David Bramwell’s Adventures in Nutopia podcast then you have a real treat in store. Hugely informative, lovingly produced, frequently funny, and with an impressive range of guests.

In the latest episode “Where is My Mind” you’ll find out about strange interactions between mind and matter, meet a variety of individuals doing pioneering work in consciousness studies, and discover a surprising amount of scientific evidence supporting the theory that our thoughts really can alter physical reality.

As David himself says, what other podcast gives you Noel Edmonds, parapsychology, Tarkovsky, and Dusty Bin, all in the same episode?