Silver Birch Poems
I have often lived and walked in areas profuse in Betula pendula - silver birch trees - and my current Calder Valley stamping grounds are no exception. This summer, for obvious reasons, most of my rambles have been within a few surrounding miles of home, and I've been getting to know certain birch-rich woodland patches on my own doorstep more closely. I've also, by virtue of working form home, been spending a lot more time than usual directly by my front window, which overlooks the canal at Sowerby Bridge, and its varied gallery of trees. I found myself recently drawn to the copse of silver birches that form part of this woody fringe, and writing about them. Before sharing the poetry this prompted, I'd like to begin with an older piece, written in 2008 and inspired by my walks through the woodlands on the edge of Roundhay Park in Leeds. February Birches was later published in my 2014 pamphlet Random Journeys. To say I feel at home among these trees, almost ever-present