Jarring Emptiness.............................14

In the garden
air simmers.
Under the bright
tight fitting saucepan lid sky.
bruised raspberries lie, meltsoft
sweetsharp jewel juices ooze
veins wasp tapped
beneath cool-stemmed briar tunnels
of sun sapped pale lined leaves
limp-crumpled.

In the kitchen, stacked by the scales
plump sugar packets
wait fruitlessly.
The pan's sleek stainless steel gloom's
slicked with gleams lozenged
by the window frame.
Seen only as they catch the light
jars cluster, shed skins of Spring's honey.

But I sit here, still, wishing
the future were as easy to make sweet
as jam