THRIMILCE - ISBISTER Poem by Jen Hadfield

The Anglo-Saxons called (May) thrimilce, because
then cows can be milked three times a day.
- Brewer's Phrase and Fable



Cheddared, the light sealed
in rind of dry road;
bloom and sheen of the ditches
I've been dreaming all this life;
the close-quilled irises
rooted dense and deep
as flight feathers.

Recognition rises
- cream in a tilted pitcher.