I fear them furred
or slashed by little birds
blackberries shining glibly in the hedge
some hard and red
some almost dripping purple smears
I choose my berry carefully
afraid
to eat a tiny spider
scared to taste
what might escape the washings of the rain
might be snarled behind a thorn
in the end it’s neither sweet nor bitter
just seedy water sacs
and oddly warm
Rose Segal is a British writer, indie-folk singer, and 2018 graduate (distinction) of the Creative Writing MSt at the University of Oxford, where she specialised in poetry about the natural world. Her work appears in Palm-Sized Press and Boyne Berries, amongst others. She lives near an ancient stone ring in the Cotswolds with her growing family and menagerie. Listen at www.rosesegal.com or follow her Instagram: @rosesegalwriting
Latest posts by Rose Segal (see all)
- Hoar Frost - 3rd December 2021
- Blackberries - 5th September 2021