A final poem for 2015

The briars lost their leaves months ago

Exposing thorns sharp as shards of glass

They have not been exposed to snow

Or made brittle by frost and ice

Their black threads tangle the hedgerow

Ensnaring harmless birds and mice

Foraging for elderberry and sloe

And my careless hand scratched twice

Beaded with red droplets that glow

Like hawthorn and holly berries

An admonition from the bramble

To be careful where I amble

Holly