Richer Berry

Now that the bright red berries lend
Color to the June berry tree
My need is urgent to befriend
Denial and austerity.

I touch the fruit with lips of wish
And with the fingers of soft words,
And leave them, a delicious dish
In taste and substance to the birds.
From break of bloom till tide of frost
Summer has feasts on every hand
Spread with no evidence of cost
For any pilgrims to demand.
Yet I can see through wisdom's eyes
How when the first harsh cold begins,
She takes all fruit and merchandise
Save what is stored in memory's bins.
No husk, no shell after the rich
Full fruit shall dull my later day.
I shall take hunger first, on which
The spirit thrives best, anyway.

Copyright permission to publish has been given by the
Carmel of the Mother of God, Pewaukee Wisconsin. All rights reserved.

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