Once There Was Jam

(Honey fungus will wipe out with ease all soft fruit trees in it's path. A nightmare)

absent trees

remind me of my fruitless

autumn garden

pardon me for the resurrection

of our damson from cold ashes

or a greengage much mourned

soft mellow-yellow, bruised skins

abundantly ripe, oozing juice

sweet stickiness, a squelchy

mess on patio paving

permitted at times to rot

to drop from lofty heights

to attract unwanted attention

from nuisance wasps drowsy

in half drunken stupor

or a path stained with purple decay

forgive me while i pine little blots

of rotten fruit 

all destroyed by creeping spread

of fine thread roots from

an unrepentant villain

no stopping honey fungus 

Reviews

[Lorry]

What? No jam! Well that's bad enough, but I will lose the plot if it affects my marmalade. What am I meant to do now without Roses lemon n lime? This is the worst news since I grew up and realised curly wurlies were not the size of ladders like I once thought.
Breakfast will be mourned.
Methinks it's time to protest.
#jamlessbreakfast will be trending in no time 😀

[Chris Shaw]

Lemon and lime marmalade, now that sounds delicious on your toast. My greengage and damson jams were also delicious on toast and I miss my trees. Ah curly wurlies that takes me back Lorry. Thanks for your visit.

Chris

[Lorry]

Penny chews that could break your face, sherbert dibdabs, space dust and wagon wheels the size of... Well, wagon wheels. Ah, the gold old days. Don't make em like they used to. The kids of today, blah! 😀

[Chris Shaw]

You forgot black jacks that stained yer teeth black :))

[Lorry]

And rhubarb n custard, texan bars, midget gems. I know these all sound very 1970s, but my local newsagent/ post office still sells most of them. Not blackjack though.

[Chris Shaw]

Probably not allowed to say blackjacks anymore now we've gone all pc. They would have to call them white jacks even if they stained yer teeth black :)

[Lorry]

SEXIST! What about rainbow Jill's. Hmm, no, can't use the rainbow either. What about assorted colour hermaphrodite?

[Chris Shaw]

Singalong, sweets ain't what they used to be :)

[Lorry]

Said in a grumpy voice, with a Blah at the end 😀

[Shoshana]

Oh boy, does that sound delicious. Now you've got me craving some sweet jam!

[Einstein Noodle]

you two have me chuckling away ...how the world has moved on ... correctness be damned says i! .. read moreyou two have me chuckling away ...how the world has moved on ... correctness be damned says i! ..

[Chris Shaw]

I love my banter with Lorry Mr E,. My inner child likes to come out and play as you well know :)

[Einstein Noodle]

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

[Lorry]

She broke the cypher E, and is the only one who understands what I'm speakifying. Honestly, most days people look at me like I'm in a clockwork orange, with sarcastic eyeballs and question mark eyebrows. It really groubles my fro fro 😀
Poor Chris, landed with being my interperator and carer 😀

[Chris Shaw]

Ha ha. Me speak Lorry lingo :))

[Lorry]

You normalate my speechels 😀

[DAH]

Love the decay that is left behind in the wake of this poem,
and, yes, I'd miss jam on toast in the mornings too.

"pardon me for the resurrection
of our damson from cold ashes
or a greengage much mourned" __ love this!

A lovely piece of writing, Christine.

Thank you!
DAH

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks DAH. So pleased you enjoyed my efforts here. Yes, I really do miss those trees and the fruits they bore. Like old friends they were.

Chris

[DAH]

My pleasure!

[John the Baptist]

Mr. Darwin was right in saying nature is a struggle for existence. In this case the only winners seem to be the wasps, who got away with a cheap drunk.

[Chris Shaw]

We were fortunate enough to reap the fruits for thirty years. Still sad to see the trees die as, a result of a fungus. Don't suppose the wasps are bothered :) Thank you John for your visit and review.

Chris

[barleygirl]

Since I become emotionally involved with my trees, it's easy to get completely sucked into your tree drama, especially how you punch up gory details! Sloppy fruit dropping, attracting wasps, I was freakin out right there! I love trees, but you made me realize I don't like messy trees! It seems there are so many ways that trees can be blighted, even down to a lack of honey bees around here! Your scenario is so yukky, I felt the stinking jam between my toes! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Chris Shaw]

Yes Margie, the demise of the fruit trees was a drama with a sad ending. Now there are no more fruit trees, I even miss the yucky mess they made, as well as the delicious jam. Trees are like old friends. Sometimes we can take them for granted. Good to know your thoughts.

Chris

[Wild Rose]

We got no fruit trees The supermerkado in Spain has tons of fruit > it grows on trees down there >> Of course you know that
The man in Spain sent it 'All over Europe" he said
We have grass and flowers Birds like the berries from the flower trees and the crumbs we throw out

Is jam going to be scares then > Do we need to buy barriers or perhaps some damsons I love damson jam
Hope id doesn't get down Kendal way that's where our damson come from

[Chris Shaw]

It's only the fruit in my garden that has become scarce, well more than that, non existent after an attack of honey fungus on our fruit trees. Sad because we had them for thirty years. Plenty of fruit in the shops, taste isn't the same though. Thanks for checking in Wild Rose.

Chris

[Wild Rose]

I enjoyed my rambling reply

[Chris Shaw]

I like ramblers. Good morning.

[Wild Rose]

Yes we have one grow over a wall its called 'Wedding Day'

[jacob erin-cilberto]

okay yes...this all seems like nature and something bad spreading and infecting everything else.

but i see allegory both in the sense of a disease spreading....or a mass killer just wiping out humanity...
the "unrepentant villain"--

and the ones that could help are drunk and apathetic...
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Jacob. I liked where this poem took you.

Chris

[Kesch (Finding Julia)]

pardon me for the resurrection
of our damson from cold ashes
or a greengage much mourned

I really enjoyed these lines here, this is wonderful

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Kesch for your thoughts on this poem. Appreciate your visit.

Chris

[Dave Brown]

First I related to the mention of wasp which have been rampant this year, then "Honey Fungus"
Wow, have never heard of that
Since it sounds like we have the same sort of garden I better read up
you have our sympathy

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Dave and I know already you have looked up honey fungus and understand how serious that is. Look after your fruit trees.

Chris

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Whoa! Is this real? It sounds well worth giving a miss. Hope our plumbs don't get it! A sad but educational warning in flowing free verse Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

It is real John. The fungus spreads by a fine root system underground. There were two walnut trees outside our property that succumbed first. It wiped out our cherry, damson and greengage. The trees and stumps had to be removed and burned. Other gardens near us have also had the same problem. Our conifers and silver birches are fine. There is nothing that can be done, once it takes hold. Missing my homemade jam, especially at this time of year. Many thanks. Look after those plums :))

Chris

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Aye they are soon to be ripe. We get a goodly harvest most years. Still plenty in the freezer from last year!

[Chris Shaw]

Do you ever make jam?

[John Alexander McFadyen]

No I stew them as my wife likes them with a little agave and puts it in porridge or crumbles.

[Chris Shaw]

Yes we used to stew them too and use in crumbles. The jam was wonderful. I really miss that, but we did have thirty years worth, so I shouldn't complain.