Blackberry Gathering

Elizabeth Adela Forbes, Walker Art Gallery Liverpool

Dressed in pinafore dresses, crisp cotton sun bonnets

Two young girls are busy picking blackberries

A woman with fair hair, loosely fixed in a bun assists

She shows no concern that her skin is exposed to sun

Rays beat through a dominant blue sky, interspersed with cloud

Shadows dance on her skirt, a pail hangs heavy over one arm

Into the distance a patchwork expanse of Cornish fields

A hamlet of cosy homes nestles in their midst

The artist concentrates on activity of movement

Her brush delicate on facial features and small hands

A blue enamel bowl is held by one young gatherer

Almost filled to the brim, ripe fruit oozing purple-red stain

The second girl's fingers, fumble in the brambles

More berries feed into a straw basket with two handles

Soon their kitchen will become as active as a hive,

Their harvest prepared, and preserved for leaner days

When ground is barren, hardened by winter frost

And logs burn brightly warming the sharp icy air

Reviews

[Fabian G. Franklin]

What fond memories this stirs of summer berry picking adventures. We used to cut the tops off milk jugs and run a wide belt through the handles and around our waist to leave both hands free for picking. My brother and I picked fifty gallons in a morning and an afternoon one year. I enjoyed the read.

[Chris Shaw]

So pleased this poem brought some happy memories back Fabian. Your response appreciated.

read moreSo pleased this poem brought some happy memories back Fabian. Your response appreciated.

Chris

[LKBillips]

Ah this reminds me of summers picking strawberries and raspberries. We would go out to the fields and gorge ourselves barely putting any into the bucket until our parents started to get after us for our lack of contribution. Sun shining, sweet fruit, and a cool breeze. Thanks for the flash back. :)

[Chris Shaw]

We used to do that too as a family. Once or twice I ended up with belly ache for eating too much unwashed fruit. I was warned, but there you go - did I take any notice, no I didn't. It's such fun though.

Chris

[¿]

Actually the title strech me and am here.....In my house it's going on blackberry season...tree full of berries and a carpet of fallen berries under the tree!!
It's a great fun read,,,,,,thanks for sharing☺!!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much and lucky you having all those blackberries. They make wonderful jam.

read moreThank you so much and lucky you having all those blackberries. They make wonderful jam.

Chris

[¿]

My resistance level is so low for them is that I hop all of it whole except seeds...jam is like a fruit of patience!😀
You're welcome😊

[Chris Shaw]

Yes, you need a bit of patience to make jam, but it is well worth the effort. Blackberry jam on toast is what I quite often have for breakfast.

[¿]

Twill try this year😇!!

[Chris Shaw]

well worth the effort, especially if you have a sweet tooth.

[L.E.Osborne]

I really love how vivid the imagery is here! I feel as though I'm right there watching them pick blackberries and breathing in the smell and taking in the scene. Amazing work!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you for your friendship request, and also for the lovely review you have left here.
read moreThank you for your friendship request, and also for the lovely review you have left here.

Chris

[L.E.Osborne]

You're welcome x It was my pleasure to read!

[Beccy]

How lovely this is. The images conjured in the mind's eye are sublime and do more than justice to a an utterly charming painting.

When my sister and I were children, our nan often took us, (and assorted friends,) blackberry picking in the hedgerows. We would go back to her house and make apple and blackberry pie, and also make a huge mess of her kitchen. They were precious times and your poem brought the memories flooding back.

Thank you. Beccy.

[Chris Shaw]

Hello Beccy, so pleased my poem brought you some happy memories. Thank you

Chris

[Wild Rose]

Thank you Christine for the memories > two sisters and mum fingers stained with blackberry juice One sis had a blue streak down her face

A Blackberry pie for tea > and later Blackberry jam cooling in jars > OO the taste and the smell

You describe it so clearly No artist or photographer to make an image

[Chris Shaw]

Good morning Wild Rose, and thank you so much. Yes memories of blackberry picking. We all used to do it years ago, it was such fun. Probably dying out now.

Chris

[Wild Rose]

Se took to only piking BB's from bushes well away from roads because of lead from car exhausts
read moreSe took to only piking BB's from bushes well away from roads because of lead from car exhausts
Think now BB's are mostly from farms

[Chris Shaw]

Yes, not from hedgerows anymore along the roadside. We gather in fields, away from traffic.

[Ardra]

I was almost there picking the berries... :)
Such artfully crafted and painted for us to enjoy...Thank you

[Chris Shaw]

Pleased if I took you there for a few moments Ardra. Can ask no more than that :))

Chris

[Mrudula Rani]

A beautiful account of an image came alive in your poem. You transporte your readers and make them feel your wonderful words. Chris, Reading your poems is a lovely experience,

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much M for your kind review. Much appreciated.

Chris

[Mrudula Rani]

It's always a pleasure experiencing your wonderful poems.

[Lorry]

Really like the idea of watching the artist watching. This is the kind of thought I have looking at art. I cant paint or draw for toffee, but I like to see the worlds they bring to life, just like your words have done here. Taking a moment and breaking down the bigger picture into its component parts. Which usually keeps me busy for hours, wondering "how did they do that?"

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you. I like the combination of art and poetry. When my muse isn't coming up with anything, I look for inspiration in paintings :))

[Phill Oz O'fee]

What a delightful poetic interpretation of a wonderful work of art! The painting is described as: A lady and two young girls picking blackberries on a summer's day. A vast expanse of fields stretch into the distance below and the sky dominates the top half of the composition. Elizabeth Forbes was born in Canada and studied in New York and Munich. In 1890 she married Stanhope Forbes. Both painters were leading members of the group of artists who worked at Newlyn in Cornwall at the end of the 19th century, painting local outdoor subjects full of light and atmosphere using characteristic free brushwork.

Just an exquisite tribute to her fine work … kudos my friend .. :-)

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much for your generous review. I love art almost as much as poetry. Combining the two is double the happiness :))

Chris