Blustery Tempest

By skinner_jennifer

Sat, 15 Feb 2020
  • 2761 reads
14 comments
 

Skeleton greenhouse

lies in pieces...glass

come loose at hands

of fierce beast,

 

fragments combined

with earth lie shattered

at edge of last years

generous strawberry patch,

 

In midst of all

this destruction

turbulent branches

torn from trees,

 

those that cling,

wave like madmen

standing hailing taxi

in angry tempest.

 

But! I do love to watch

howling February

shoot raindrops

against my window pane,

 

spitting like strings of pearls

that speak in foreign tongues,

not realizing they're telling me

of storms to come.

 

Image by pixabay free.

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Comments

Submitted by onemorething on

I like turbulent branches and hailing taxis. We had similar ideas about the languages of things. I think you have summed up storminess very well. :)

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

It is lovely to watch the power from safety, dryness and warmth isn't it? I take it it is your greenhouse that has suffered. I hope the clearing up isn't too difficult. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thanks onemorething,

it's certainly one of those storms not to be messed with. Glad you liked.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Rhiannon,

yes oiur greenhouse is lying in pieces and the storm has left a right mess. The worst part is that I don't know if we can replace the glass, even the door came completely off. But thank you for your thoughts and for reading, much appreciated.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

You've caught the speed and strength of your storm so well, with the quick rhythm but also lines like "fragments combined with earth lie shattered" have a beautiful sadness, a songlike lilt. Also "shoot raindrops/against my windowpain/spitting like strings of pearls, the alliteration of all the "p" sounds works really well. And branches waving like a madman's arms is a great image, brutal too as some of the arms lie on the ground. So much going on! And your last line, "storms to come", continues the sense of movement

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thsnk you for the read Di,

I'm so glad this poem worked for you and appreciate your comment.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

I too was very taken with the image of the branches hailing taxis - brilliant idea!  I'm sorry to hear about your greenhouse, hope you didn't lose too many things from inside.  Also hoping you haven't suffered any more destruction over the weekend.  

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I should have said - I hope you can get a new greenhouse and can pick up the glass out of the soil.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi airyfairy, thank you for your concern. Thankfully nothing was growing in the greenhouse, but we won't beable to fix the glass and my partner won't be taking the structure down, so it looks like it will just have to stand there as it is which is quite sad, but can't be helped. 

I'm just glad nothing else was damaged to be honest.

I'm glad you liked the idea of branches hailing taxis, it was how I imagined them to look from my window.

Thank you for reading and your thoughts.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hello Di,

I don't think we'll be getting a new greenhouse, to be honest it would be too expensive, especially if it got damaged like the one we already have.

My partner and myself are going to remove the glass when the weather gets better, at the moment it's too unpredictable. 

I appreciate you coming back to ask. Thank you.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Don't despair! when we had an allotment, someone had a greenhouse frame which they covered in thick clear polythene sheet? It worked fine! I think they had made a wood frame door (maybe the original got wrenched off like yours) a bit bigger than the door hole, and that was covered in the plastic too? They would lean it over to cover the opening and wedge it with planks dug into the ground at an angle so the wind couldn't get in. I think it's possible to buy special polythene which doesn't go opaque from being in the sunshine. there's lots of stuff about this sort of thing because of people making their own polytunnels? It might end up being a fun project :0)

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

A very descriptive poem of a fierce storm that has caught many unprepared and powerless to do anything except watching the pelting rain on the window panes, with its suggestion of further upheaval, and observe the extensive damage it caused.
Sorry to hear of the havoc inflicted on your irreparable greenhouse.

Luigi xx

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thanks for coming back with the information Di. To be honest me and my partner find gardening quite difficult these days, especially during the hot summers, just don't have the enthusiasm I once had, but I appreciate the thought.

Thank you.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Luigi,

yes you're right, these storms seem to be getting stronger and stronger.and we live on a hill which is quite open to the elements which doesn't help. I'm grateful for your considerate comment and glad I could sum up the storm in the right way.

Many thanks.

Jenny. xx