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Open Poetry #31
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Cherry Pits & Grape Leaves
| Open Poetry #31 |
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Cherry Pits & Grape Leaves |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart 
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Cherry Pits & Grape Leaves Do not send children Out into the summer breeze To stand beneath cherry trees In shady surround Of buzzing flies and lazy bees To fill buckets with plinkets of cherries For the sun is their cohort In warming fragrant fluids, And little fingers may squeeze just hard enough To say Ah, I have bruised this one, oh well, And plop, Black-red fruit passes beautiful white teeth Onto a tongue in search Of heavenly juices… And pits are all the buckets will hold. Do not send children Into the fall, where they prevail in height by Morning’s long shadows, to seek grapes Shaded in heavy leafed foliage Of summer’s green, Where tree frogs croak summer’s End, but dog-days play awhile With one’s senses, Urging a hurried gathering Of memories to see one through Winter’s gray, For eager fingers will fill full with bunched siblings, All deeply purple crowned, succulently sugared From warmer days when they hid Under umbrella’ing leaves, Lauding themselves rotund with intense Flavors, in wait of the vat, If they could but escape the just one pleas Before swift fingers plop plop plop into mouths And bellies fill, sugary sweet, while all that falls into The wanting crate is the cradle of grape leaves, Orphaned from their charges of summer. No, do not send your issue To gather up summer’s reds or purples, For your pie shall be an empty shell, Your crystal glass will sparkle In wanting wait, And you will only know From glowing faces And smacking lips That harvest was a success. |
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| © Copyright 2004 Karilea Rilling Jungel - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Crimson Moon Member
since 2003-07-21
Posts 52NY, USA |
Reminds me of my childhood and brings a smile to my face. A secret place high atop the forest hills and valleys touched by all you have been and content to be all that you are. |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Karilea I love this! It put me in mind of a certain beloved plum tree.  |
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Enchantress Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113Canada eh. |
OMG!! This is SO adorable!!! A keeper for my library! Love ya lady~  ~The breeze that kissed you on the face, |
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Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
Sunshine A wonders delight. One of your best.  |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
Now I want some fat juicy grapes! LOL, I would be that kid, yanno.  |
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passing shadows Member Empyrean
since 1999-08-26
Posts 45577displaced |
delightful and juicy |
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iliana Member Patricius
since 2003-12-05
Posts 13434USA |
This evoked memories of my sister and I under a canopy of grape leaves having a tea party when we were little girls. I'm going back for a second read of this lovely work. .....jo |
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Nightshade
since 2001-08-31
Posts 13962just out of reach |
Goodness gracious! Beautiful Karilea! hugs, Chris Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale. |
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jellybeans Member Elite
since 2000-10-13
Posts 2298 |
oh lady, I did need to read this just now...thank you for posting it...your talent abounds with harvest |
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icebox Member Elite
since 2003-05-03
Posts 4383in the shadows |
This brought a big smile of memory to my old face. My oldest son (who hated vegetables)used to voluteer to go out into the garden and "look" for sugar snap peas for dinner. He would swear each year that it was just not a good year for them. He would return with a small handful in a basket and then usually say he was not hugry for dinner. My wife and I watched him many times from a distance stuffing his face with those sweet little pods when he didn't think we were looking. I am not sure either of us ever told him we knew. |
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Grover Senior Member
since 2004-01-27
Posts 1967London, ON, Canada |
Memorable images galore in this great poem! |
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kayjay Member Elite
since 2002-06-24
Posts 2015Oregon |
This is a well-imaged tale of that gentlest of childish pecadillos. As a veteran of many nonproductive berry hunts, this came home with a very sweet squirt! Ken |
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LngJhnAg Member Elite
since 1999-07-23
Posts 3508Boot+Kitty=Poetry in motion |
I suspect the "not" is a NOT. Clearly, you have children and grandchildren who have taught you to be young again, Karilea. You are truly blessed with their fountain of youth. |
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Dark Angel Member Patricius
since 1999-08-04
Posts 10095 |
oh, this took me back to where myself, my brother and a friend would spend most of the summer day in a berry tree...coming out purple literally all over heh. Thank you Karilea for taking me backt here Mxx Beauty of the world which is soon to perish has two edges, one of laughter and one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder. |
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muted
since 2004-01-15
Posts 2949Elapsing, Eclipsing, Evolving |
and im reminded of going to the strawberry farms to pick punnets, of course, i filled my tummy as well sweet reminder of a sweet memory, thank you |
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bslicker
since 2000-12-04
Posts 2321state of mind |
Bernie A smile a day keeps the world in smile's. |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Tonight [although no one may see this message] I read this poem at Open Mic. What a great time! I had several lines repeated to me as I left the station at Access TV. If it weren't for you folks? I wouldn't be having so much fun... So if anyone stumbles across THIS note? Thank you so MUCH for all you have given ME! |
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