Blossom Day poems by Stamford's Poet Laureates

'Blossom'

Snows of Spring

Grows on trees

The nectar calls

To bugs and bees

Snows of Spring

Falls from trees

Caught on tides

Of warmer breeze

Snows of Spring

Lays on Earth

Now mother trees

Of fruit give birth.

Scott Coe, May 2024

'Apple'

Globes of flesh

Of greens and reds

Fall to earth

And scholar's heads

Find their way

To recipes

Inspire still life

And gravity.

Scott Coe, May 2024

In the Orchard in Spring

by Caroline Avnit

This poem is the first of my Poet Laureate poems, written specifically for National Blossom Day on the Sunday 28th April 2024, celebrated here in Stamford at the Stamford Community Orchard.

Follow the bees -

through the wooden gate

there lies an orchard,

ages old

gnarled trunks and tangled branches,

like limbs intertwined,

embrace the moment

clusters of white petals adorn the trees,

their perfumed scent captured by the wind.

Let us roll out a picnic blanket

and lie here for a while,

lost in thought

gazing up through the canopy of white.

All around the orchard

trees dressed in white blossoms

rise up in greeting,

with the sweet promise of tomorrow.

In this moment beneath the trees,

we can dream of October’s bounty

- slicing into crisp, juicy fruit;

crumble on a Sunday afternoon,

toffee-apples as a treat

And if you close your eyes

you can almost smell the cider

from apples, freshly pressed.

Can you feel it?

All around this orchard

nature is offering herself to you.

This orchard is more than a garden,

it’s an invitation,

a gift,

it’s hope.

Hold out your hands in thanks.

Springtime Colour Grenade

by Ross Ayres, Stamford's Poet Laureate 2025/2026

Little bud.

Surrounded by the grey dawn

And the misty world of mystery.

Unborn and alone, a solemn scout,

Numb from the chill.

Motionless, flavourless, colourless.

Folded like a book

With every untold fantasy

Held within.

Oh solemn, scentless bud;

So patiently you

Hold your breath.

Slowly,

Fostered by a kiss of sunshine,

And nourished by tears of thunder,

Your prime petals unfurl.

Waking like a lion,

A yawn of tender plume,

A prestige into the bright air—

Revealing precious valleys of burning brilliance.

Soon, you are surrounded:

Crocuses light up the pale verge;

A tulip rises like a golden chalice,

Bells chime in periwinkle,

And the flames of rose flicker.

It is a festival matinee;

A springtime colour grenade.

And all are a gift:

A rest stop for fluttering wings;

A sweet elixir for stripey couriers;

A perfect bunch to say: ‘I love you’.

Each bloom bellows a

Silent symphony;

Paints the world with passion;

Offers itself as sacrifice,

So that all life

Can flourish.

STAMFORD COMMUNITY ORCHARD GROUP

Blossom Day poems by Stamford's Poet Laureates