2021
With nights cold, the month
akimbo, like the year,
I was not surprised
to find some limbs
gnarled, blighted. It took me
a while to see
that last year’s new shoot
was suddenly mature
and fruit bearing.
At first, it seemed
there was not much
to pick from those
thorny branches,
with some berries
almost too ripe
for the time, as if
in a hurry
to be done. After
I had picked what I thought
was the last, I saw
another, tucked beneath
a leaf. When turning
to go I found
one more hanging
there in plain sight,
its purple resplendence
somehow almost missed.
An hour later
I was still moving
from find to find.
Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 24, Issue 4.
Nick Conrad’s poems continue to appear in national and international journals. His first book, Lake Erie Blues (8/20), appeared as part of Urban Farmhouse Press’ Crossroads Poetry Series. His podcast for the Windsor, CN based series All Write in Sin City aired 8/29/21.
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