Hello all. I was invited to submit work here. This is my first offering.
Gardening in Time of War
It’s been a bad time for blight--
New growth that began so promisingly
cut down by a fast-spreading disease
that no one could foresee.
The staples were especially hard hit, roots
and branches suddenly dead above the sandy hills.
The Gardener, hard put to pay
for fertilizers and anti-fungal sprays, had to economize;
that endangered crops already at risk.
Forecasts that the weather will improve
do nothing to prevent the death of young plants,
though the Weatherman said the threat was past.
Painful to see so many young starts die
or be so damaged they will never be what they could have been.
Broken branches grow crookedly
and sometimes produce no fruit.
Gardens that were just getting established
have lost too many plants--
it’s been a bad time for blight.
3 comments:
A powerful piece Sue. I got the feeling that "the crops of the field" were not the only ones being addressed here. Straight-forward, the way I like them.
And welcome to Appalachian Writers. I hope you post here often. I would encourage anyone who reads this to go to Sue's site and check it out as well. I know I have it on my favorites list. You can find the link in the sidebar under Grannysue and at the bottom of the page under staff writers.
Thank you for the welcome, Mike. I wote this piece in response to a writing prompt to write an allegory. I'd never tried that before, so I gave it a shot. This poem took an honorable mention in the WV Writers Annaual Writing Contest, a good result for s writing prompt piece!
I hope to post here frequently. It's a good site, focused where my heart is.
Wecome to Appalachian Writers and I like the metaphor you use in this piece I look forward to reading more posts from you.
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