Colleen Chesebro has created a new #TankaTuesday challenge based on the 24 Japanese seasons. The season right now is The Autumn Equinox (September 22 – October 7) Shubun 秋分.
My kigo (season) word is date because dates are harvested in Arizona only in the months of September and October. Here is my reverse etheree:
DATE HARVESTING
Under the leafy fronds of the date palms
the molasses-rich, honey-sweet fruit
hangs in heavy grape-like bunches.
Pickers with nets try to skim
whole bunches off the tree
without getting spiked
by fierce needles.
These sweet dates
are worth
risk.
###
Switching now from autumn to spring, I have an ekphrastic poem up at Visual Verse here: https://visualverse.org/submissions/paschal-moon-at-midlife/. You can see the artwork that inspired it also. Or you can read the poem here (and the link at my name goes to all the poems and stories I’ve had published at this site):
PASCHAL MOON AT MIDLIFE
Release yourself from heavy
coats and boots of winter,
wiggle the toes and sense the air
scouting your arms and calves.
Consider the mud puddle, slide
the long grass along your tongue.
Sing in response to the sweet-
sweet-sweet of the cardinal.
In darkness imagine your guide,
the moon a bountiful platter
mirroring pink phlox-covered hills
of your imagination. Relieve
your mind of artificial restraints.
Let it loose into the unknown.
Dates. What a fun topic! And your second poem is exquisite!
Oh, thank you so much, Joy! There is even a date festival in Yuma, Arizona, and one in Indio, California!
I didn’t know that about date! Great informational poem!
Thanks, Kate. I just mentioned to Joy that there is a date festival in Yuma, Arizona. There is also one in Indio, California, near Palm Springs.
Thanks for sharing those poems. Inspiring!
Thank you for reading them! 🙂
Descriptive and informative. I had not thought about the origin of dates.
Dates are so interesting in so many ways! But I can’t imagine harvesting them. It looks pretty scary.
Wow, wow, wow! I love both poems. I needed some happy poems. Keep ’em coming!
Aw, I hope you needed them because you’re happy . . . . Thank you, Liz! xo
You’re welcome, Luanne. (I’ve been watching the national news. 🙁 )
Oh dear. I’m sorry . . . .
Thanks, Luanne.
I love your poems!!! 🙂 Your moon poem is awesome! I also like the date poem…purely wonderful poetry! 🙂
LInda, thank you so much! Your comment made me so happy!
Good job, Luanne. The only image that stopped me in my tracks was sliding the grass along my tongue. I gave myself a finger cut on marsh grasses when I was a child and that image stayed with me. I would never put my tongue on a blade of grass, but you got my attention. Nice poems just the same, even if my tongue is shivering still. Obviously, great imagery!
Ewww, that must have really hurt!!! Oh, I know the kind of grass you mean. This grass is the silky type! Thanks, Anneli! Stay away from the grass!!!
It made an impression on me, for sure.
I am sure!
Luanne, I didn’t know a thing about dates! How interesting. I love your reverse Etheree. You capture so much imagery. Your spring poem is amazing! I love it! Congratulations on Visual Verse. This was their last edition, right? Thanks so much for adding such an interesting kigo word to the list. 🧡
Thank you so much, Colleen! Yes, I think they were ending in October, but maybe they said before October? So it was probably the last one. Sad because it’s been a lot of fun!!!
For a moment I thought your post title was “data” harvesting. 😆
Wonderful poetry, Luanne! 🧡
Hahahaha. That would be about AI!!!! Did you put your books through the link to see if AI used one or more of your books? I know others who have found that’s the case. Here’s the link if you want to try: https://full-stack-search-prod.vercel.app/?search=&executed=false&fbclid=IwAR1ddfXKaeBPHyPG5Jqon5Ft5nRf153pv25yp1wmm32TmS3-WwvikxKpYbs
Wow! Date harvesting sounds like fun, as your poem says! I love the mood of your second poem – so tranquil!
Thank you so much! So happy you like the poems!
Enjoyed both of these, Luanne!
Interesting! I’ve never thought of how or when dates are harvested.
The trees really do protect their fruit!
They do.
Your date poem gave me a hankering for those wonderful, sweet fruits. Nature’s candy!
Hi Vera. What a great description–nature’s candy!!!
I especially like the images in the second poem. Joyful!
Thank you so much for stopping by and reading, Kerfe!
Hi Luanne, both of these are lovely. I didn’t know dates were prickly.
Yes, when you put your hand up under the fronds by the trunk to reach the dates there are huge spikes! Thank you, Robbie.
Beautiful poems, Luanne. You capture both seasons wonderfully.
Diana, thank you so much! It wasn’t even planned like that, but it worked out!
Luanne,
This is beautiful, and I do love me some dates! TBH, I’d never really thought about the process of collecting them from the trees!
Much love,
David
Thank you, David! Are a lot of dates grown in Israel? I know part of Israel is desert and I am imagining they are because of they are grown in the US in more desert-like areas.
Loved both and learned something:)
Oh, thank you so much, Denise. So glad you could learn something :).