"Every Tender Yield"

"Every Tender Yield"
for Joe - a poetic rendering of lines from notes he'd written in August, 2007
~L. Page

Last week, I noticed that my grapes were turning blue;
Purple, with seed – In need, as well, of a good pruning –
Not a vineyard; just about ten to fifteen feet of vine.

As long as I can remember; corn, hay, wheat,
We have never been without some kind of garden
(In a small country, every piece of land is valuable.)

Even along the roadsides, more common than maple or oak:
Cherry trees, apple, English walnut….
After all the seeds we have sown these several years,

A few neighbor children sought out our little church this past Sunday;
The Good Father’s timing to water the fruit, after much persevering;
First in as long as I can remember; such a tender yield –

Not a vineyard; they were just about nine to eleven years old
But purple, with seed – In need, as well, of a good pruning –
This week, I’ve noticed that the grapes are turning blue.

(c) 2007 Leah Randelle