Blackberry Gathering

Blackberry Gathering

A Poem by Chris Shaw
"

Elizabeth Adela Forbes, Walker Art Gallery Liverpool

"
Dressed in pinafore dresses, crisp cotton sun bonnets
Two young girls are busy picking blackberries
A woman with fair hair, loosely fixed in a bun assists
She shows no concern that her skin is exposed to sun
Rays beat through a dominant blue sky, interspersed with cloud
Shadows dance on her skirt, a pail hangs heavy over one arm
Into the distance a patchwork expanse of Cornish fields
A hamlet of cosy homes nestles in their midst
The artist concentrates on activity of movement
Her brush delicate on facial features and small hands
A blue enamel bowl is held by one young gatherer
Almost filled to the brim, ripe fruit oozing purple-red stain
The second girl's fingers, fumble in the brambles
More berries feed into a straw basket with two handles
Soon their kitchen will become as active as a hive,
Their harvest prepared, and preserved for leaner days
When ground is barren, hardened by winter frost
And logs burn brightly warming the sharp icy air

© 2018 Chris Shaw


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Featured Review

What fond memories this stirs of summer berry picking adventures. We used to cut the tops off milk jugs and run a wide belt through the handles and around our waist to leave both hands free for picking. My brother and I picked fifty gallons in a morning and an afternoon one year. I enjoyed the read.

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

So pleased this poem brought some happy memories back Fabian. Your response appreciated.

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Reviews

Ah this reminds me of summers picking strawberries and raspberries. We would go out to the fields and gorge ourselves barely putting any into the bucket until our parents started to get after us for our lack of contribution. Sun shining, sweet fruit, and a cool breeze. Thanks for the flash back. :)

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

We used to do that too as a family. Once or twice I ended up with belly ache for eating too much unw.. read more
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Actually the title strech me and am here.....In my house it's going on blackberry season...tree full of berries and a carpet of fallen berries under the tree!!
It's a great fun read,,,,,,thanks for sharing☺!!

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Yes, you need a bit of patience to make jam, but it is well worth the effort. Blackberry jam on toas.. read more
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5 Years Ago

Twill try this year😇!!
Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

well worth the effort, especially if you have a sweet tooth.
I really love how vivid the imagery is here! I feel as though I'm right there watching them pick blackberries and breathing in the smell and taking in the scene. Amazing work!

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Thank you for your friendship request, and also for the lovely review you have left here.
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L.E.Osborne

5 Years Ago

You're welcome x It was my pleasure to read!
How lovely this is. The images conjured in the mind's eye are sublime and do more than justice to a an utterly charming painting.

When my sister and I were children, our nan often took us, (and assorted friends,) blackberry picking in the hedgerows. We would go back to her house and make apple and blackberry pie, and also make a huge mess of her kitchen. They were precious times and your poem brought the memories flooding back.

Thank you. Beccy.

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Hello Beccy, so pleased my poem brought you some happy memories. Thank you

Chris
Thank you Christine for the memories > two sisters and mum fingers stained with blackberry juice One sis had a blue streak down her face

A Blackberry pie for tea > and later Blackberry jam cooling in jars > OO the taste and the smell

You describe it so clearly No artist or photographer to make an image

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Good morning Wild Rose, and thank you so much. Yes memories of blackberry picking. We all used to do.. read more
Wild Rose

5 Years Ago

Se took to only piking BB's from bushes well away from roads because of lead from car exhausts
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Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Yes, not from hedgerows anymore along the roadside. We gather in fields, away from traffic.
I was almost there picking the berries... :)
Such artfully crafted and painted for us to enjoy...Thank you

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Pleased if I took you there for a few moments Ardra. Can ask no more than that :))

Ch.. read more
A beautiful account of an image came alive in your poem. You transporte your readers and make them feel your wonderful words. Chris, Reading your poems is a lovely experience,

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Thank you so much M for your kind review. Much appreciated.

Chris
Mrudula Rani

5 Years Ago

It's always a pleasure experiencing your wonderful poems.
Really like the idea of watching the artist watching. This is the kind of thought I have looking at art. I cant paint or draw for toffee, but I like to see the worlds they bring to life, just like your words have done here. Taking a moment and breaking down the bigger picture into its component parts. Which usually keeps me busy for hours, wondering "how did they do that?"

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Thank you. I like the combination of art and poetry. When my muse isn't coming up with anything, I l.. read more
What a delightful poetic interpretation of a wonderful work of art! The painting is described as: A lady and two young girls picking blackberries on a summer's day. A vast expanse of fields stretch into the distance below and the sky dominates the top half of the composition. Elizabeth Forbes was born in Canada and studied in New York and Munich. In 1890 she married Stanhope Forbes. Both painters were leading members of the group of artists who worked at Newlyn in Cornwall at the end of the 19th century, painting local outdoor subjects full of light and atmosphere using characteristic free brushwork.

Just an exquisite tribute to her fine work … kudos my friend .. :-)

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

5 Years Ago

Thank you so much for your generous review. I love art almost as much as poetry. Combining the two i.. read more

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Added on June 9, 2018
Last Updated on June 9, 2018

Author

Chris Shaw
Chris Shaw

Berkshire, United Kingdom



About
Albert, my paternal grandfather introduced me to Tennyson when I was nine. I have loved poetry ever since but did not attempt writing a single piece until I was 40. It's never too late to try somethin.. more..

Writing
Spoken Spoken

A Poem by Chris Shaw



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