Sprung from Richest Rain

Early spring ice melts channels
in mountains, fields and hills,

loosens hardened sods under
the metal plough’s thunder.

Grey crusts and clods break
in the furrows’ crumbling wake,

surfed by flocks of gulls and crows
pillaging carefully crafted rows.

Later in the ripening year,
earth fulfils the farmer’s prayer;

tender growth greens the plain,
rapeseed sprung from richest rain

and boundless harvest crops,
golden corn, wheat and hops.

Kim M. Russell, 22nd June 2020

Landscape with Ploughed Fields, 1889 by Vincent Van Gogh
Landscape with Ploughed Fields by Vincent van Gogh – image found on vincentvangogh.org

My response to earthweal weekly challenge: Culture and Nature, also linked to dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night – the last one before the two-week break.

This week, Brendan wishes us a happy summer solstice to us residents of the Northern Hemisphere and reminds us that it is the beginning of our astronomical winter.

He has shared words by Wendell Berry that remind us that we are inextricably linked to nature and the wild, even though we are domestic creatures who need balance and harmony as much as the earth does. I love the extract Brendan included from ‘Prayer after Eating’, one I have read before, and was struck by the poem he shared from ‘The Timbered Choir’, with which I was not familiar; I love the way he conveys the closeness of a farmer with his land, they way he knows every bit of it, while acknowledging that it can never really belong to him.

Living in the countryside, surrounded by farmland and wild nature, I love this week’s challenge: to write about the intersection of culture and nature.

39 thoughts on “Sprung from Richest Rain”

  4. This is a lovely poem Kim. It reminds me of the classic English poetry about the countryside that I learnt in school. Thomas Gray’s ‘Elergy written in a country churchyard’ comes to mind. It’s good to know that the bucolic English countryside still exists.

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    1. Thank you, Bjorn. We have a field of rapeseed not far from here. This year they’ve not planted sunflowers, which is disappointing, but we have poppies in the fields – so much colour!

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  9. This is absolutely stunning, Kim! 💝 I especially love the image; “rapeseed sprung from richest rain.” It was wonderful to see and hear you read today on Google Meet! 😀 xo

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    1. Ah, thank you, dear Sanaa! It was indeed a treat to see and hear you too. I’m, looking forward to another Google Meet. I’ll be reading more of your passionate poetry at P&SU at the weekend. 🙂 xx

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  10. I could hear your voice as i read, and re-read your words. Your rhyming couplets were rife with hope, brimming with life. By the by, I want to acknowledge the years of support and fellowship you have given me; a Facebook friend, a blog mate, an appreciator of my Photography site..just sending hugs by the bushel.

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    1. Thank you so much, Glenn. I do feel we’ve got to know each other well over the years. I love your sense of humour and drama, and it was a treat to hear your voice at the group chat – just as I imagined it. Hugs coming your way too, Enjoy the break and 4th July. 🙂

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