With most South Australian wineries still in the throes of vintage, this week’s poem from Barossa-born Junette Schoell celebrates the life cycle of the vine through the ebb and flow of the seasons.
Daughter of the Vine
Strong roots spread deep
in red Barossa earth,
Bride-mother bonded.
The vine grows
seasonal, cyclical.
Winter greys chill to the core
the bony frame
and frost bites the twig fingers.
The mask is void of life,
still…
dormant dreaming.
But to this vine the Gardener comes,
quietly pruning,
preparing for future fruit.
And as the storm rains soak deep
into subsoil subconscious,
the pregnant sap flows.
The Spring sun kisses bursting buds,
inviting the soft green leaves to open
and welcome sunlight synthesis.
The flush of youth’s vigorous growth comes,
tendrils climbing towards their goal,
ever upward.
Midsummer’s haze is heady as fruits appear,
green globes growing
rounder,
fuller,
until Autumn’s sweetness comes
and the heavy clusters hang,
purple,
plump
and blooming,
ready for giving.
Plucked,
the juice flows…
refreshing the waiting crowd.
And if some of creation’s bounty
is crushed
and stored in silence
and deep
damp darkness,
the new wine ages.
I mellow at the taste of Life,
Gift of Royal Wine…
“My cup runneth over.”
Junette Schoell was born in the Barossa Valley and lives on the slopes of Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges. She began writing poetry whilst a young teacher on Kangaroo Island. Junette says her poetry has come from strong personal moments and the experiences of nature both old and renewed. Her poem here, for example, was written in both personal and natural celebration some years ago following a cancer challenge.
Readers’ original and unpublished poems up to 30 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. A poetry book will be awarded to each contributor.
