Japanese quince in St Andrew’s Garden – Christine Shaw

I am placed quietly in the corner
The gardeners do their best to keep me in order
On the crossroads twixt pedestrian crossings
I hear their conversations while they are walking
My blossom is out in full
Beautiful, even if I say so.
Day by day I continue to grow
Despite the detritus that people throw
Which gathers beneath my crown of thorns
I make the sacrifice and mourn
People who have passed me by
Not a glance do they give me, they are preoccupied.

The spire above, the Glover’s Needle
Just down the road from Worcester Cathedral
Was rebuilt in seventeen fifty-one
Following damage by a ‘monstrous storm’
Originally built for St Andrew’s church
Which was demolished according to research.
It was nicknamed to honour the population
Who made gloves and Worcester’s reputation.

The tallest spire in England which is narrowly ascending
Surpasses my tiny flowers, there is no use in pretending.