Transcribed 30th April 2021
April’s first rain – and today is the 28th!
Its drappling of the skylight woke me;
So, tea brewed, I’m back in bed
And now my closed eyes blend it
With dawn’s calls and the shipping forecast
(A poetry not just for mariners).
Such welcome rain, with land so dry;
And yesterday’s worm-chancing blackbird
Beadily watched me plan and plant
My new potato plot.
Meanwhile, greeted well before,
Warmer breeze off Cardigan Bay
Had already lessened frowns of frost.
So strong-felt, those fears, on many recent nights,
With the blossom of damsons, plums, and gages
White-gowning the garden more than ever before…
And, since this week began, the blousier pears.
© Christopher Jessop 2021