Sunlight dictates our days somehow
Evenings speak of duvets now
People begin to cough or sneeze
Trees start to dread each single breeze
E-type says there’s nowhere to park
Mornings complain about the dark
Blackberries doubt that they’ll get picked
English sheepdog begs for a stick
Radio talks of candidates
Fake news drowns out any debate
Autumn colours each working day
Leaves demand to be swept away
Last week’s paper knew it was true
September would remember you.
rich
purple
aroma
tantalizing
juicy blackberries
taste of summer
on the tongue
jewels
rich
swollen blackberries
basket of sweet temptation
purple gothic lips
Spindly stretching brambles rebel from main form
Amused bending stems eject spikes of rhino horn
Thorns barely a repellent for birds resourceful
Tweezer glowing twilight globe, a bitter morsel
Fresh field alien green cone births berry's infant
Chantilly lace pale pink petticoat wraps nymphet
Confetti celebratory moult bulges her fertility
Eighty protruding bulbs shiver in vulnerability
Stern season carousel chastens scanty branches
Snow swallow, boggy terrain new tepid attaches
Saw edge foliage unfold, twitching fox ears
Clusters encombour limbs, absinthe adheres
Florid flocks tossle, augment midnight family babble
Morning dew melt sapor stains fingers which dabble
Outcast tongue teaser, lumpy rubber cleaved
Mauve motivate jaunty juice, mouth received
9th August 2022
Written for Contest:
Thoughts on Blackberries
Sponsor:
Matt Caliri
BLACKBERRIES
I cherish, relish
tart flavour of succulent
juicy blackberries.
Amused as my tongue to show
being painted indigo.
Big blackberry tree
leans on wall of my garden
On next neighbour’s side.
They enjoy all the ripe fruits.
On my side birds leave some seeds.
In season of fruits
clusters of blackberry hang
from my planted tree
tempting me to taste in vain.
I have to buy from market.
08/08/2022
Your Thoughts on Blackberries
Contest by Matt Caliri
I’ve never been fond of blackberry cobbler
--I’ll pass, too, on the blackberry sorbet--
Too many seeds get caught in my teeth,
Dentures may change my mind someday.
Give me raspberries, softer and sweeter,
With a taste which excels the blackberry
They make a deliciously tasty berry parfait,
Hands down, they’re my favorite in dairy.
Blackberry jams have way too much seed
If you want the taste with toast, try jelly,
But I would suggest you go for apple butter
--On this many of my friends are agreed--
If you persist in your love of the blackberry
Willing to pick them, do avoid the thorns,
I’d suggest you get a very good toothpaste
To clean your teeth and the smile you carry.
Written August 7, 2022
Submitted to “Your Thoughts on Blackberries” Poetry Contest
Sponsored by “Matt Caliri
Blackberries, blackberries, what’s the big deal?
They’ve too many seeds, and they give me no thrill.
They’re actually tart and they’re only sweet when
placed into a pie. Are they even good then?
Likewise the strawberry is not all that great
except if you eat it along with your mate.
You see how in movies some great lover dips
that berry in chocolate for his lover’s lips.
Think of all berries that you’ve ever had.
Cranberries, mulberries, etc. . . . all bad!
Berries just aren’t BERRY good. From elderberry
to choke(me)berry. And please forget the gooseberry!
Raspberries, boysenberries, and blueberries too.
THOSE are the only three I care to do!
But blackberries, blackberries. What good are THEY?
Unless they are sweetened, I’ll throw them away.
Aug. 6, 2022
For Matt Caliri's Your Thoughts On Blackberries Poetry Contest
*Image of Blackberries by Pixabay.
It's Blackberries
It's in the thoughts.
It's in the classroom.
It's during recess.
It's in the cafeteria.
It's in the library.
It's waiting for the school bell to ring.
It's the school bus ride home.
It's the tossed school bag on the porch.
It's in Pup-Tart, frolicking ahead.
It's the trail behind the house.
It's in the search.
It's in the anticipation.
It was in the lost.
It's in the found.
It's in the bending down to pluck.
It's in the endless lapping of my face by Pup-Tart!
It's in the holding in my palm.
It's in the look of my gaze.
It's in the tossing into my mouth.
It's in the chewing-bursting sensation.
It's down the throat into the satisfaction of a 50-year-old remembering -- blackberries!!
2022 August 06
*5th Place*
Your Thoughts On Blackberries
~~Matt Caliri: Judged 2022 September 08
blackberries relished, picked, coated
with sugar, fingers deliciously stained.
the tonic bumps twirl with my tongue
the sweetness and berry bravado
of childhood, picking and tasting
this satiating serendipity for one.
i wonder if my sisters and brother
found the wild bramble?
or is it all mine -
this mine of sweet black fruit.
8/4/2022
Recalling how chiggers can itch
I'll still cross the muddiest ditch
the biggest blackberries to find.
Deet sends most critters to their niche.
Wrestling briers, a path I'll stake
while dreaming of cobblers to bake...
Whoa! my full pail I left behind
the moment I spotted a snake.
Returning with weapon in tow
and searching along with my beau
At last, I regain peace of mind,
he scares off the snake with a hoe.
Retrieving my bucket brim full
we hurry past fence and the bull.
Are they worth the grit and the grind?
You bet, homegrown blackberries rule.
July 31, 2022
Contest: Your Thoughts on Blackberries
Sponsor: Matt Caliri
Blackberries in my hot pie topped with ice cream, a bowl makes my mouth beam.
Blackberry wine, is so very divine.
Blackberries covered in cottage cheese, this dish will bring me to my knees.
Blackberries~raspberries~strawberries in a dish, makes me want to make a big wish.
Blackberry ice cream topped with blackberries, is better than with cherries.
Blackberry syrup with blackberries on french toast, is the best from coast to coast.
Guess you have figured it out, I love Blackberries without any doubt.
Date Written:7/30/2022
Note: I do not drink. I needed a rhyme with divine.
Blackberries are juicy and sweet
And very delicious to eat.
For me though, I think,
Are those I can drink-
Blackberry liqueur is my treat!
July 29, 2022
Contest: Your Thoughts on Blackberries
Sponsor: Matt Caliri
The Bramble has dealt me finger sores,
Fruit juice and blood on sensitive pores,
Blackberry preserve stick and sweet,
Sunday delicious for five o'clock treat.
Don't pick the red ones, mother would shout,
Leave till next week, black ripened are out,
Save some for Bramley's, soft crusted bake,
Forage and plunder all you can take.
Written 28.7.22 for the Blackberries contest
sponsored by Matt Caliri
Summer winds down, autumn appears
Leaves upon ground from deciduous trees
Foliage now rustic ebbs slowly away
Animals gather food for winters stay.
Webs that glisten from wet morning dew
Misty white curtains blurs scenery view
Rituals and sacrifices in old days of past
Thanking God's harvest and future ones last.
Daylight grows shorter - long nights begin
Bonfire nights and apple bobbing
Parents and children carving pumpkins
Ghosts annual night visit at Halloween.
Horse chestnuts seeds - conkers kids play
Blackberries grow plenty, wild fruit of the day
Autumns rich colours, beauty fanfare
Natures painted canvas and artistic flair.
07.09.21
Farther down the glade beyond Myrtle Creek
Where, as a kid, I went hunting for raspberries,
We discovered a ripening patch of blackberries
Grandmother and I went there for a solid week.
One early morning we heard a frightful shriek
And, we didn’t stop to entertain any inquiries,
Hastening out with half a bucket of ripe berries
Truthfully, in our stomachs, we felt kind of weak.
Grandmother’s pies were enhanced by the tale
Of our sudden departure from the berry patch,
And how we hurriedly left with a half-filled pail
We embellished the story of our quick dispatch,
Always leaving the impression, without a fail,
That we had met up with a real live Sasquatch.
Written July 3, 2021
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