Cellared, Poetry, Spoken Word, Mono-Chrome Monday Photography, Blog, and Digital Art

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(Edited)

Cellared


Stripped of shade and care
forgotten fruit ripened
Fell from the vine
Dead stipulations
                  expectations
dreams crushed
Fermented to wine



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Seasons come and go
Flowers bud and bloom … a new harvest
Sweetly devoured by an insatiable hunger of two


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Then comes the drought
Too much, too little
Fruit browns to rust
Ole Bacchus calls ...
cellared beneath a blanket of dust

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Open the cask; still alive; let it breathe
I wish you happy; I wish you well
Lips part, taste … wish you with me

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Reading



Commentary


Out my window not many, but a few trees are taking on their autumnal colours. It looked like it might be a quick and dry fall up here with the smoke from the wildfires down south. The haze from the massive camp fire ... grasping at a euphemism here ... had block out most of the sun. The trees were responding accordingly, thinking the year was farther along than late summer, turning brown and drying up. Falling off. Like a tired housewife who kids are late for school, forgoing the lipstick and blush, skipping the reds, oranges, and gold.

Then came the week long rains, and boy did it rain. No more smoke for us in Vancouver. The trees soaked it up and have returned to the height of life and photosynthetic production. Green and verdancy has returned. Even though, the air is definitely getting crisp. Downright cold and tinged with an Arctic front at times ... well at 4 in the morning when I am up to teach English to China.

Sunny and warms days aside, it won't be long now. The sun won't make it much past the horizon even come mid afternoon in a month or so. The trees will indeed have to give up summer whispers for a winter chill and the pneumatic rattle of bare branches.

But first a celebration.

Too early for the detritus confetti, Day of the Dead parade, but not too early for the reaping of previous years' harvests. Life gifts us with fresh food, and death with fermentation. Even better tasting at times. Proving life always wins.

The body actually craves the taste of rot. Umami. Also one of reasons we like sour tasting foods. A sign what you are eating is full of vitamins. Thank you Microbiome, I capitalized that for a reason, it's existence is not optional. Yes, thank you little beings for digesting our food and improving it, so we can eat throughout the winter and eat good.

So enjoy those fermented veggies ... they are healthier and easier to digest that way, pretty hard otherwise. True story. Enjoy the cheese and cured meat, and in small, reasonable doses enjoy the wine. Enjoy your coffee and chocolate. Yep, they are fermented too.

Think about the amazing amount of both life and yes, death that went into bringing you that cup. Remember just because the purpose and beauty of a process may not be readily apparent, when maturity is reached, new life is born. Too quote my favourite armour wearing alien ... it's the Way.

***

Words and Images are my own. Cellared is published in Strays. Strays is available in paperback or digital through amazon and your local libraries and bookstores. Click on any title below to further explore and support my writing.

Shout out to @wwwiebe for the rose inspiration. Will these do?


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11 comments
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This has aged quite well, like a fine wine, Pryde. I always enjoyed your readings. I also like your Commentary. Reminds me a bit of the News from Lake Wobegon.

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Haha .. I like that. Yes, these poems ... to my mind ... often deserve more than one visit. I enjoy revisiting them anyways. The photos and commentary I hope keep it fresh for everyone. They are growth activity for me too:)

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Oh yes, those will do. Very nice. 😃 I think they are very fitting for the poem, too.

Loved the reading! I almost enjoy those more than reading the poems myself.

!tip

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Thanks Victor. I wish I could do more readings but they are so time consuming to put together.

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You should totally have audio books and do regular readings I’d so tune in your voice is so calming in a time of worldwide chaos lol

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Thank you so much. That is a lovely compliment. Lots more where that came from online:)

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