The Three Fields of You

Cherry

By Jane Hyphen

Sun, 17 Mar 2019
  • 3045 reads
8 comments
 

 

This fertile field to which we’re born

In furrowed tilth for infant roots   

To dock and grow in loving loam

You flourished in this sunny gaze

With friends of akin shades of green

Your origins a sheltering screen

They watched you shoot and bud

On top soil primed and warm  

 

You blossomed early, shone

With precocious swells of fruit

Under these fortuitous climes

Your field in lustrous shades of gold

But spoiled as you and soon to spoil

A scorch upon the surface of your soil

The endless staring heat blanched

Away the membrane of your glory years

 

Then the storms carried off your tract

In rivets leaving just a scurf

Upon a bony bed of flints

A fallow scrub for spiny weeds

That thrive on hostile ground

You watched as every net unwound   

Who was it said, you reap what you sow?

Knew nothing of life’s weathers

 

Certificate U
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Interesting! I'm not sure if I've sussed out all your intertwined metaphors, but the theme of fruitful happy growth, later scorched by the deep burning trials, and the longer lasting bad weather hindering recovery …

The overall picture of the mixture of flourishing fertile field and the sudden inclement weathers' devastation seemed an apt picture of our present world, created perfect, but now some of the divine care withdrawn because of our rejection of him, and to encourage us to plead for his grace and await the promise of a new perfect world when he returns.

The last couple of lines – a sort of quote from Galatians 6:7 in the Bible (also sort of in 2 Corinthians 9:6) where it is talking of the different harvests from sowing either to please the sinful nature, or to please the Spirit, and is followed by 'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up'. which does have a relevance to the varied 'weathers' we have to travel through in life, I think!

Rhiannon (Just realised how long this comment is, sorry}

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Hi Rhiannon, thanks for your comment. Yes some people are born into a flourishing fertile field with everything in life open to them but faced with inevitable trialls, things can start to become unfulfilling especially if they haven't invested in their deeper layers. I was trying to wrote about a very spoilt man who didn't appreciate his privilege and he didn't do good and so didn't become weary of doing good either!  

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

There's a feeling of new life, then followed by looking back. The last stanza I read as growing old and being swept away by the pace of life, it becoming to much too handle. I wonder if this was what you were trying to say! 

I did enjoy your poem Jane, because it makes you think.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Hi Jennifer. The last stanza is about growing old yes and looking back at a spiritual desert because he was swept away by things of no real importance. Thanks for your comment smiley 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I'm glad you gave an explanation as I thought reading it was sad (maybe because am rubbish gardener)

You do not mention the creeping despair of slugs, slurping up fragile dreams and leaving a smirk of slime. Or bullying birds who peck up anything that dares raise its head from darkness to light

I love this bit :

"Who was it said, you reap what you sow?

Knew nothing of life’s weathers"

It should be a caution on the back of seed catalogues, and perhaps prospectuses of private schools :0)

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

I suppose it could be sad but he was born into good conditions which is a better start than many. Ha, regarding those slugs, I just don't grow things that they like to eat anymore, I've even got rid of my lillies since the lilly beetles moved in. Plenty of Mediterranean plants which the little creatures leave alone. Interesting about the bully birds, we have bully magpies and I'd love to have lots of small birds but they are scared away. Thanks for your comment.

 

Submitted by celticman on

you reap what you sow, if it were only so. The world would be so much better But as we can see, all people in poverty would agree. Those of wealth and no little stealth. What would they say, but life's weather made me that way. 

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

It's a fail of a tale we teach our kids. Bad deeds will be punished, if not in life then in hell, look around it's easy to tell, the few reap what the many broke their backs to sow with next to nothing there to show.