The Harvest Hymns
I
Winds whisper of gold,
Beneath the sun-baked surface,
Tubers sweet and bold.
II
Leaves rustle, sun gleams,
In the dry earth, bounty dreams,
Harvest near it seems.
I was quite hesitant to participate in this week's challenge, but @riverflows won't stop with the encouragement. It's been almost a decade since I gave poetry a shot. Here I am now, breaking the pause.
We are at the onset of the dry season here in the Southwestern side of Nigeria. This period last year, I harvested the sweet potatoes which I'd planted about 4 months earlier and the harvest was the most bountiful I've ever experienced in my gardening activities. I planted again this year and guess whose mind is already programmed to harvest at the onset of the dry season? Yea, me.
I was caught unaware last year by such a large volume of harvest. Thus, I knee-jerked into giving a large percentage out as gifts to friends and neighbors (Not like I regret it, I believe in giving). In addition, myself and my household limited ourselves to just boiling and eating and using them to garnish beans. This year, I think I now know better.
While I will retain the tradition of giving out to friends and neighbors out of our harvests, I may not give as much as I did last year. This is partly because there is more austerity in town due to high food inflation, and partly because I now know I can do more with sweet potatoes than just boiling and eating. I genuinely look forward to having a meal made out of sweet potato flour (I hope to write about it here).
I hope the harvest agrees with my aspirations.
Hello! Owasco here, filling in for riverflows. I love your haiku, especially that first one. Thank you for participating! A reminder though - to qualify for the prize, you must use creativegarden as your first tag.
You've been curated by @gardenhive on behalf of the HIVE GARDEN COMMUNITY! We support gardening, homesteading, cannabis growers, permaculture and other garden related content. Delegations to the curation account, @gardenhive, are welcome!
Thanks for the head up. Can I still go ahead to use the tag? I completely missed that part.
that's okay, I'll forgive you! Just remember for next time 💛
Thanks!
Wow! I'm incredibly impressed because I KNOW how hard it can be when you don't write poetry. These are awesome... I ABSOLUTELY knew you'd be good at it! I adore the first one with the gold of the tubers. I could almost smell the dirt - you really brought it to life! 'Winds whisper of gold' has such a mysterious feel, and I can sense that dry, baking heat. Just wonderful.
I'm sorry it took so long to reply!
Trying made something come alive inside me, something I've not felt since the last time I wrote a poem. I'm glad the words hit the right cord with someone that appreciates them. What a community we have here!
Sorry I missed this comment! I felt the same way - I was reluctant to try but they really got me going on some level! You can always write more for the other #creativegarden entries - I know me, @owasco and @boxcarblue will greatly appreciate them!
Believing in giving is great part of you that must held in good faith. Bacuse is not an easy thing to give out a part of you freely. I support in prayers so that you meet your target in harvest.
Thanks.