About A Fruitful Summer (Cavatina Sequence) Poem by Gert Strydom

The oak size avocado tree had fruit
during the spring
and into summer, like small pineapples,
with some dropping
to the earth, bursting like hand grenades,
I was picking
from a ladder set on the cobble stones,
dropping down to mother the greater ones.

The two dogs had their fill from those broken,
the roof was struck
while some were falling down like rocks at night,
by some great luck
they just missed the neighbour's nearby car,
more I did pluck
for the neighbours, friends and the family
and they all tasted butter-sweet to me.

At the plum tree the birds were twittering,
the long ladder
swayed under me on the moist soft ground,
I did gather
buckets and boxes full, was startled
by a adder
that was green and hissed in the large tree
and I dropped down to the ground to be free.

The vineyard was full of Catawba grapes,
with their sweet scent,
their essence, filling the summer air,
evanescent
was the summer, but mother was happy,
she did present
to the ladies at church some baskets full,
while I met a girl that is beautiful.