gather

Gold cherry

By Di_Hard

Sun, 13 Sep 2020
  • 1928 reads
12 comments
 

 

Pooled, this mild September day
from waves of work (or guilt when not)

once each year
picking blackberries
from prickly cataracts
of free sweetness pouring
over the old school’s walls
where children used to play
or creep away from canings
(now blackbird’s gentle chuck chucks
spring from fruit-spangled thickets)

fingers juice-red as a couple of dog rose hips
taken for pectin, seeking plump composites of rounds
as bees' eyes, made purple so intense they're pupil
dark - tought by each degree of light
and heat  and wet this summer past

till boiled and seived of pips, preserved with sugar
in clean jars like memory
of the word “wildness”
heard but not understood

Certificate U
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Those jars sound delightful for the winter! I remember my mother sieving from the legs of an upturned stool. I admire your skill. I've only ever made crumbles, and frozen packets for future ones, but it takes up a lot of freezer space! I thought we'd missed them this year, but found other bushes still going strong. My granddaugher and her mum picked a lot on Saturday and we all had a lovely crumble from it yesterday! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou for commenting Rhiannon, I hope you are feeling better?

It is lovely for children to eat the um fruit of their labours :0)

ps please don't admire my skill as I don't have any!

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

A tasty poem Di.

I loved your blackberry descriptions in this poem. A mouthwatering read.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou very much for your kind comment, Jenny, am very glad if you liked it!

 

Submitted by onemorething on

This is so beautiful, Di, I loved it. The last stanza is perfect. Rachel :)

 

Submitted by onemorething on

This wonderful poem is our Pick of the Day on Facebook and Twitter. Di - feel free to change the image if you wish. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

That is so kind, thankyou so much!!! I think this one is a lot inspired by your poems. Am really grateful for pick of the day

 

Submitted by celticman on

I like a bit of 'wildness' gathered here. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou very much for reading and commenting Celticman

 

Submitted by Richard L. Prov... on

A great feast of a poem. I can feel the passion in its composition.

Richard L. Provencher

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou Richard, it is lovely to hear from you as I like your poems about your very different  landscape and wildlife very much

 

Submitted by Richard L. Prov... on

Thank you very much for your precious comment on my poems, Di_Hard. I try to give voice to people, nature and situations where they may not have been noticed in this wonderful world, in spite of testy moments. Writing gives us the power to control destiny, and to do so with humility and respect. 

Richard L. Provencher