Priced In Pain

some things are worth a bit of discomfort

A label on my home preserve

reminded me that I had picked

plump, ripened fruit of blackberries

from thorny brambles which had pricked

and stained my skin deep purple-red.

Unfriendly was the Sunday heat

that scorched my shoulders, left them sore,

yet still I stayed avoiding bees

and gathered many, many more

which hung from clusters overhead.

Though blistered fruit was free to pluck

I paid the price in reaper's pain,

but in the dreary winter months,

my autumn harvest proved a gain.

Delicious jam for months ahead,

I thickly spread on buttered bread.

Reviews

[Ken e Bujold]

One of the things I miss most in this world is my grandmothers (both) homemade jams. as a kid i would join my cousins when sent out to collect wild raspberries from the fields and along the riverbanks where they grew in abundance. by the time we returned not a berry left for miles. we ate as many as we delivered, but neither grandmother ever seemed to hold that against us, and all winter long I'd dream of the next year's summer visit, the wild berries and homemade jams.

want to thank neville for digging this gem out from your archives, and you Chris for the trip down memory lane

ken

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanjs Ken. Since the demise of the damson tree, I haven't made jam. I also used to make greengage jam, but that tree died many years ago. Thank you fir your visit abd sharing your grandmother with me. Happy Friday.

Chris

[Neville]

Crumbs, even in those days of yore, I don't recall coming across this before .. dunno how I missed it till now
but now know what to have on me breakfast biscuit .. with loadsa butter of course :)

Neville

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Neville so much for giving this oldie an airing. Wish I could have shared that damson jam with you. I assure you, it was delicious. Miss that tree. Happy Friday.

Chris

[Amanda Trerotola]

I love the imagery you included in your writing. Absolutely beautiful!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Amanda. Pleased to meet you and you are very welcome here on my page.

read moreThank you so much Amanda. Pleased to meet you and you are very welcome here on my page.

Chris

[Amanda Trerotola]

You’re welcome!

Pleased to meet you as well.

[송지ፏ..]

Very nice. It shows the dedication a farmer has to have. Here in japan, there’s Kobe cows that massaged daily and the farmers only raise 5 at a time.

[Lyn Anderson]

Sometimes the pain is worth it. Just depends on the outcome.

[Chris Shaw]

That jam Lyn, I assure you was worth it. Thanks for calling in.

Chris

[DIVYA]

Sweet is the labor of love and it applies to almost everything in life. I love the vivid images brought in the first verse and the sweetness of the concluding verse. A lovely poem, Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you dear DIVYA for your fine response.

Chris

[Jimmy Yetts]

Lesson learned; lesson beautifully taught.
A lovely poem, Chris!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Jimmy.

Chris

[00000000000000000000000..]

I did this many many time 5 gallon buckets nowadays cant find them wild like use to:( But yeah, in the end, it was well worth all:) So that pain is worth it unlike others not so sure. I am dealing with a bad back right now all because the man was too stupid to design a weed eater for a tall man! Go figure.

[Chris Shaw]

Good to see you Jon and thanks for your response.

Chris

[0000000000000000000000000000]

Yeah hope your weekend is great Chris and your welcome.

[Chris Shaw]

Have a good week-end yourself Jon.

[0000000000000000000000000000]

I will to hot here to do anything so I am in the air condition room chilling out lol

[Chris Shaw]

Cooler temperatures here today, some respite before they start shooting up again next week :))

[Onlyme]

The philosophy of life. yin and yang, good and bad, painful, not. Everything seems to have an opposite. Even thou we wish they did not. Makes you cherish the worthwhile things more.

[Chris Shaw]

Everything does have an opposite Dee. You are so right. Cherish everything and everyone you hold dear.

[Onlyme]

Exactly Chris.

[¿]

The description of this poem is what I can relate with one of my admiration..."Discomfort is the best teacher"....I started believing in it as I looked at my best learnt lessons and skills by far....I've learnt them all in discomfort actually!!
Thanks for this poem Chris...not only blackberries but all the fruitful results worth a bit discomfort as per me....tis a good read☺!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you dear Tahsin. That old expression, no pain, no gain always comes to mind. Those feelings of discomfort, being out of our comfort zone, physical pain, and others like, mean that we can learn from those experiences and grow. So good to see your lovely eyes looking at me on my page. Thank you for your visit.

Chris

[¿]

And so you should be thankful that you're not sitting beside me...I would've sore your cheeks😇!! Thanks a lot for the compliment dear....You're heartedly welcome and Love and Hugs😊!!

[Chris Shaw]

You are welcome to that compliment, no need to blush.

[¿]

;)).......!!