Spring builds like a wave, slowly at first, gathering pace. Shivering snowdrops raise their heads, followed by crocuses and swathes of golden celandine, harnessing the winter sun. Gaudy daffodils, then clouds of blossom, herald the imminent explosion of green as the world unfurls into leaf. ‘Green havoc’, Fiona Benson calls it – add in the birds for a cacophony of sound, and colour. Meanwhile, tumbling over hedgerows, come great drifts of cow parsley, their pure white spume frothing on the crest of this elemental wave.
This piece of short creative non-fiction, published under my real name, was originally included in Portfolio #1 by FENACULAR, an exciting new project that aims to “encourage creative writing in response to art inspired by the fens.”
Claire McGinley, the Ely based artist behind Cow Parsley Bank, which both inspired and informed Portfolio #1, has kindly allowed me to use her painting. You can find more of her work here on Instagram.
Behind the Sky 