Poems can invite us to appreciate the beauty around us, while motivating us to take action to protect it. , a collection by the UK’s poet laureate Simon Armitage, the arrival of spring and the importance of nature in our lives. This anthology includes 21 poems, featuring 11 – short, three-line poems that capture the essence of a moment, typically involving nature.
Traditional Japanese haiku consists of three lines with a 5/7/5 syllable pattern, but modern adaptations often use fewer syllables and do not strictly adhere to this structure. The haiku in Blossomise reflect contemporary concerns about the climate crisis, depicting how shifting seasons affect natural elements and subtly highlighting the signs of a changing climate. These haiku serve as palate cleansers between the longer poems, while also weaving the collection together with their succinct reflections on the transformations in nature.
Throughout this collection an appreciation of nature is beautifully balanced with a call to environmental action. Armitage has long been an advocate for environmental themes. His earlier work, , features a poem that was printed out on a 20-metre-high banner mounted on a building overlooking the busy A57 road in Sheffield – the banner uses nanotechnology to “eat pollutants” and clean the air, blending art and environmentalism.
In 2019, Armitage also founded , an annual award for nature or environmental poetry, to raise awareness about climate issues, donating his annual laure.