is those who flower in poor soil:
groundsel, self-heal, bittercress, speedwell;
is celandines forcing their way
through cracks in rotten concrete;
is valerian, toadflax, creeping-jenny
rootlng in arid mortar;
is forget-me-not, hearts-ease, black-medick
thriving in sparse gravel;
is daisies, hawkweed, campion,
is flagrant buttercups
thrusting through rusted iron;
is dandelions rekindling wasteland;
is violets, windflowers, bluebells
where woods were razed;
is broom, willow-herb, foxglove
infusing bomb-sites:
is all small things which
will outlast these times, which inhabit
neglected spaces, bringing ripe colour
to our ravaged earth;
is weeds which survive underfoot,
sprayed and uprooted;
is slow lichen on scoured rock:
is seeds that wait in the dark
Cover photo credit: Polly Pullar
Margaret Elphinstone
Margaret Elphinstone’s latest novel Lost People was shortlisted for the 2024 Saltire fiction award. She is the author of nine earlier novels, including The Gathering Night, Voyageurs and the award-winning Sea Road. Her poetry collection, Time Seeds, was published by Wild Goose in March 2026. She lives in the Glenkens.