A Death Of Green (Poetry)

First published in Word Craft Issue 10 Winter 1983

Gleaming through cool canopies,
Half hidden by the clustered leaves
Crisp baubles hang suspended,
Waiting breathlessly to drop
Till one by one the apples plop
As Summer’s close portended.

To nestle in the tufted sward
Gemstones of the orchard’s hoard
Lie winking in profusion;
Soon to lose their polished sheen,
These transient orbs merge with the green
In dapple toned illusion.

So then the striped aggressors come;
Winged tigers of incessant hum
With waspish roars of parody’s inventing.
The scent of over-ripe decay
Has lured their insect minds away
To sup on flesh discoloured and fermenting.

As moisture dribbles from each pore
Pale mildews leach the oozing sore,
Each globe begins a gradual deflation.
And brilliant green turns pulpy brown;
The gorging worms begin to drown
All victims of death’s generous libation.