Almond trees

In early September this Andalusian soil
           in which these almond trees stand
is friable and dry as a bone
           their branches have been
clipped and stripped
           of their fruit and foliage

Marshalled in their rugged groves
           these neighbours are condemned
to stand two metres apart
           and so separated
by an infinitely sad
            and withering silence

Yet come the New Year
           this entire terrain
will be swathed in a soft blanket
           of pink and white blossom
as new life surges through
           the wiry willowy branches

John Lyons