Some of the windfalls have been collected and piled on a plastic garden chair. There are no signs of wild-life bites or nibbles, and only one green apple among them. They blush with October colours and scent.
Among them, one is more than half russet, almost bronze, a bruised rogue among the beauties. It must have suffered a harder bump in its hurry to escape the worm and now exudes a sweet scent, its skin on the verge of rotten, its flesh a mush.
apple skin on skin
anthem to the wind-fallen
rotten to the core
Kim M. Russell, 1st October 2018
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Haibun Monday: Murmuration
This Monday we have qbit, also known as Randall, as our guest pubtender, with a prompt taken from a collection of writing exercises from ‘Poets who Teach’. He would like us to write two or three tight paragraphs in which we describe one particular member or element of a set. The challenge is to perceive the qualities of the group and distinguish what makes an individual member both a part of it and apart from it.
This exercise is intended to alert us to make distinctions and create particular images, to focus on concrete particulars and how they can express our vision to the reader. Randall would like us to finish with a haiku or micro-poem and says that the use of a kigo/season word is up to us.
Nice last line in the haiku.
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Thanks Frank!
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They say that one rotten apple spoils the barrel… but if you just spot the bruised one the windfall can make excellent pies-
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They certainly can! I have to collect the quinces now to make some jelly!
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I love quince jelly and will be making mine next week. I bet I can spot the most bruised apple in the bunch. This was a most excellent write I like the gathering of windfalls. I usually pick among them to get the least bruised and leave the ones at animal height in the tree for the deer. then I climb on a ladder to get the rest. Autumn is such a wonderful season. You portray the one apple among the many beautifully and your haiku is lovely. Thanks for keeping it classic.
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Thank you for saying such lovely things about it, Toni!
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“a bruised rogue ” – love how it flees the worm -so much to see and smell here Kim –
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Thank you, Laura.
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You know that apples will get me every time! I love this – your description is so intense, I can smell that bruised apple. It’s starting to ferment a little. Beautiful, Kim.
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Thank you, Sarah! I’ve got a bit behind with everything, so I might have to do some more reading in the morning.
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Bruised or not, I love the fresh apples, just collected and gathered. Perfect for making pies and sweet stuff Kim.
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Yes, I really should get baking!
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Here in WA state, apples are a big deal; love your windfall poetics. My grandfather told me about his orchard on the family farm, and that there are dozens of kinds of apples that never became domestic./ As a project, he grafted several kinds of apples on one tree; that must have been magical.
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Thanks for the lovely anecdote, Glenn – I can’t imagine different types of apples on one tree – truly magical!
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Wonderfully unexpected last line in that Haiku, but picking up the bruised fruit in the narrative. So much varied and beautiful among them all. And “a bruised rogue” that was in a hurry to escape the worm is great.
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Thank you, Randall!
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Such a unique write. Thanks for leaving your url at my blog today Kim
Much💛❤💛love
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Thank you, Gillena!😊💙🌸
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Interesting what draws our attention in this exercise, and that rot has a sweet smell.
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I always enjoy Haibun Monday. I love the anecdotes, the different times, places and ideas on the same subject, for example commuting,
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Oh a perfect autumn haibun. I hope we also understand humans (the bruised one) as much as we understand an apple battered badly. So symbolic!
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🙂
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kaykuala
It must have suffered a harder bump
in its hurry to escape the worm and
now exudes a sweet scent,
One can’t imagine being admired physically arising from an unfortunate incident.
Hank
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There is such beauty in imperfection, and you captured it so well!
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Thank you, Linda!
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I really enjoy the word play… and the imagery (which, of course, includes the scents).
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Cheers Charley!
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Brings me right back to Lawrence Farm and Orchard, where we picked apples with our friends two weeks ago! Lovely write!
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I can smell that apple scent! I particularly liked these lines:
“They blush with October colours and scent.
Among them, one is more than half russet, almost bronze, a bruised rogue among the beauties.”
I hasn’t seemed very fall like here. But soon, I’ll be making applesauce. 🙂
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Thank you Merril. Enjoy your apple sauce!
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