Tuesday 16 September 2014

POETRY JAM - HARVEST TIME

“Every age yearns for a more beautiful world. The deeper the desperation and the depression about the confusing present, the more intense that yearning.” - Johan Huizinga

This week, Poetry Jam has the theme of “Harvest Time”. This is to coincide with the Northern Hemisphere season of Autumn, which begins with the autumnal equinox on September 23, 2014. My contribution looks at the topic figuratively rather than literally…


Autumn Harvest


The days are pale, and their shortening foretells a rapid death.

Cool winds forebode wintry chills,
While gathering rain clouds signal the end of a sultry summer –
The harvest of sorrow watered with tears is awaiting to be gathered.
The seeds of bitter pain ripen
And fruit of misery hang heavy on the vines of woe.
The sickle of unrelenting duty is sharpened
Ready to slice through dry and twisted grasses of desolation.

How hope has been deluded,

How every expectation hollow has become,
How dreams of rich harvests have turned to nightmares.
The seasons of joy have passed us by, unnoticed
And now that the winter of misery approaches
How can we not be cut to shreds
By its ice-cold sharpened claws?

I gather my melancholy harvest of despair

Pick fruit of poison, collect each seed of pain
Knowing that in the winter solitude that I must face alone
Such as my harvest is, it will feed my shattered life
Helping me to evade death, if only to await
For new sprouts of dejection in the next phantom spring.

The image above is “Autumn melancholy day” by_mckatalyn

14 comments:

  1. The poem is dark indeed from the beginning to the end...some great images like harvest of despair, fruit of poison to a phantom spring do speak of a shattered life...

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  2. Full of despair. As you said it is not literal and could refer to the state of the planet with its atrocities and wars taking place rather than anything of a personal nature. I hope not anyway. Let us enjoy our beautiful Spring weather. If I

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  3. oops I was going to say If I lived in Melbourne I 'd shout you a beer and a moussaka to cheer you up !:)

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  4. the theme of desolation is resonated well throughout, the tiny spark of light at line 20 "Helping me to evade death, if only to await"
    is welcomed with an out breath

    have a nice Wednesday

    much love...

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  5. Oh, what a picture of a depressed person's life you have drawn. Seems this individual has had no joy, or has not recognized the possible joy in their life. I feel sorry for someone with this kind of perspective...a person who has had no past joy, has no present joy, and sees only 'sprouts of dejection' in the coming spring.

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  6. I know some people for whom the change of seasons (autumn and spring) brings melancholy and depression. They seem totally oblivious to anything else. How sad when someone is so depressed they cannot enjoy the seasons of joy.

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  7. Autumn is so beautiful despite it's chilling foretelling of winter.

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  8. I guess I can agree,, for the most part that there is not a thing to look forward to with the coming of winter...except maybe the coming of spring after that. There has to be hope somewhere. Well written, but so sad.

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  9. There is a foreboding in the coming of Autumn that sense of darkness, i love the way you have captured the despair

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  10. Definitely a very dark piece here. Mystery as well. The picture is perfect with it.

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  11. Nicholas, this is so sad and desperate... Yet there is also beauty and your word pictures paint a somber but highly charged view of the autumn/winter seasons.

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  12. Beautiful writing Nicholas. I love how you connected the seasons with people and their seasons dark at times but part of what many face.

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  13. How somber and melancholy… It must be an awful season for people with depression and sadness in their heart. Sad, but you have captured the feelings beautifully, Nicholas.

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  14. Ughh. Gave me the creeps this one. Beautiful but chilling - just like the season you’re describing I guess

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