Stark white bark of young birch
Rising from talons of dark red cornus
Lace blossom of witchhazel
Fragrant and fragile against
Dark crinkly leaves of mahonia
Another cornus, orange at its heart
Red tips dancing like flames
A mass of glistening evergreen
Fringed with lemon sunshine
How can it give out its solar power
On this grey drizzling day
I slip on the mud that used to be lawn
I must know its name, look for a label
Euonymous japonicus
‘Bravo’