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 nine historical novels, including The Gathering Night, Voyageurs and Sea Road, feature characters experiencing disruption in liminal places. Her recent writing - poetry, essays and the Saltire shortlisted novella Lost People - address the precarious state of our Earth and all living beings under the onslaught of rogue human systems. www.margaretelphinstone.co.uk