Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76Fiddlesticks Pteridium: common bracken Downsbanks, the Outlanes, near Stone, Staffs Good uses once, bad press the enemy these days: relentless mobster, triffid from some darker world, a ticking toxic bomb; giant smotherer, hair-trigger fiddlehead, sea horse, palms microdots by sleight-of-hand, lust-primed, on lacy fronds; full-cocking, fires live dust; now toasted, humming, texture, taste and smell, green shoots quick underground, makes rust. We charge,‘The True-Born Englishman’ our text, resist your flaxen horde, outlandish waves of ’kern and gallowglass, invasive tides of migrants, infidels, with garden canes, then heroes, glorious in retreat, course home on armored steeds, peckish, sun-flushed, replete. Peter Branson Damascus Plumbed The damson plum: prunus domestica In quiet hedgerows, down aimless village lanes, clingstones, their origin, till now, in doubt, post-rationing neglected on the bough, hang down in droves, to drop, like severed heads, decay. Giant sloes, their genes unbound, ink flicks from hapless pens, blunt arrowheads, egg-shaped lead weights, these flawless jewels against the green, slate blue to deepest indigo, tear drupes, hint of the orient, sweet damascene. Though flawless raw–in Syria, one dry sour note round here’s pure gall. First fuse of firm lime flesh, cheeks wither in surprise. Appalled, what makes great jam bad med’cine unconfined, we swallow, blink through tearful, childish eyes. Peter Branson Images courtesy of plantillustrations.org (public domain)