Apprentice Piece

From root stock images
from words espaliered
I must make a lemon tree
for my poet’s apprentice piece

a hole will be dug for my lemon tree
dead centre of an old walled yard
with cut lengths of nylon tights
I will tension it as it grows

in pruning for shape
I shall retain within the full-grown tree
all those twiggy words:
stem, leaf, rind, tongue, tang, juice,

one late summer afternoon
fruit will appear out of
a blue hat full of sky
lying in pea straw

under acid green shade
and the snoring of sleepy bees
at my leisure I shall recite
my completed apprentice piece.

Ross Jackson is a retired teacher who lives with his wife and their companion dog in the Perth suburbs. He is a member of OOTA Poets, that has had a close association with the Fremantle Arts Centre since 1996. He is also a regular reader at the Fremantle monthly poetry event ‘Voicebox’, and has had his poetry published in literary journals in Australia, the UK, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand.

Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. Submissions should be in the body of the email, not as attachments. A poetry book will be awarded to each accepted contributor.