Plums in January
These wild plums ripening at park’s edge
green yellow orange red
attract to laden twigs
and turf beneath
grey and pink galahs
rainbow lorikeets white corellas
families with bags to fill
children reaching high
and low gorge on them sun-
warmed now ... take some home.
Shop plums are plump, costly,
scientific, wild plums are free,
natural, skinny. Sweet? not very.
Charitable bounty to the needy,
easy blessing to children,
annual family ritual.
Elsewhere, those wild plums leaning
over the river ripening,
greens yellows orange reds
out of reach except to birds,
needy (and only less dazzling
than that sunshine on water)
lorikeets, white corellas,
grey and pink galahs.
Max Richards
Doncaster, Victoria
Wednesday 7 January 2009
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