Gorse bush

Green Thorns and Yellow Flowers by Ross Walsh

The furze has taken over, according
to my mother, and soon will smother the
trees in their infancy. This rocky path
we walk once basked in the shadows of great

evergreen giants. Now the walls are all
green thorns and yellow flowers, not just the
walls but the floor too as hardy furze
pierces skyward from beneath the stones. In

occasional gaps I see the babies;
Sitka Spruce, not even as tall as I
am yet, and everywhere more green thorns
and yellow flowers. Such a long way from

Alaska. Why not smother them that do
not belong here? Has this land not seen more
than enough plantations? Has the furze here
taken over, or simply taken back?The Milk House logo

 

Learn more about Ross on our Contributors’ Page.

(Photo: Chris Penny/flickr.com/ CC-BY ND 2.0)

*

Introducing the 2023 Best in Rural Writing Contest. $300 in prizes, as well as great exposure for shortlisted authors. Deadline: September 30th, 2023. For more details go here.

AcresUSA, a sponsor of the Best in Rural Writing contestWe’re grateful to partner with AcresUSA, who is North America’s oldest publisher on production-scale organic and regenerative farming. AcresUSA regularly organizes events to benefit farmers and ranchers who are actively improving soil health, agronomists breaking new ground in soil and plant science, and livestock managers cultivating holistic systems. Browse their events page to see what they have planned for 2023.

Ross Walsh
Follow him
Latest posts by Ross Walsh (see all)