Almost Apple Season
Life cycles (Anniversary acrostic for Real Poetic)
Apple season's getting started, I say to myself.
Nodding June fruitlets supplant May's shroud of blossoms,
Now that every white wing has slipped from the trees.
I rarely visit the old orchard this time of day,
Vertical shafts of light pillaring the in-between spaces,
Every low shadow gathered in, crisply dark and waiting to grow.
Reaching up, I touch a swelling nub, an apple-to-be in the fullness of time.
Suddenly my hand stops. Time slips. An almost apple.
Almost twelve years ago -- your last day before hospice -- we came here,
Rambling hand in hand, you wrapped round in your dusky shawl.
You pointed to a dark, hard nub and said, Enjoy this one in the fall, for me.
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A/N - I am indebted to this marvelous photo journal of the lifecycle of an apple, which I returned to many times during the writing of this piece, both for science and for inspiration. And I learned that the proper name for a nascent apple is "fruitlet," which seems sweetly fitting.
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Thank you for reading my acrostic for Real Poetic's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE -- give it a try!
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About the Creator
Sonia Heidi Unruh
I love: my husband and children; all who claim me as family or friend; the first bite of chocolate; the last blue before sunset; solving puzzles; stroking cats; finding myself by writing; losing myself in reading; the Creator who is love.
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'20/20'
"Do It Again" the track that would ultimately open the Beach Boys final album on Capitol Records which was released on February 10th 1969 had originally been released as a single in August of 1968. The track was the first of many post-Pet Sounds era throwbacks to the early Beach Boys sound which would become continually more cliched and eventually lead the Beach Boys to the level of self-parody they would eventually succumb to in the 1980s while their closest contemporaries The Beatles nearing the end of their run in 1969 would go on to be viewed as the most influential band of all time. However, the song itself is not bad on its surface, and it opens with a futuristic sounding (for 1969) drumbeat captured by then-Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper using tape delays on the drums performed by Dennis Wilson and John Guerin. The song has been re-recorded numerous times over the years on various Beach Boys-related projects most notably the 2011 re-recording at Capitol studios featuring the five surviving Beach Boys at the time backed instrumentally by various members of both the Brian Wilson Band and Mike Loves touring "Beach Boys" to promote the then upcoming Beach Boys 50th Anniversary reunion tour in 2012. The hammering and power drill sound at the end of the song was an excerpt from a track called "Workshop" that was to be a part of the uncompleted "SMiLE" album.
By Sean Callaghan7 days ago in Beat
Comments (13)
Wow, this is absolutely stunning! I love the storytelling in this.
"Fruitlet." Oh, that is indeed fitting. How perfectly you made this. I'd choose it as winner. Damn good job, Sonia. I'm off to weep.
Beautifully written. I like how to tied early life stages together with the end. Well done.
Brilliantly and beautifully written!!!💕❤️❤️
Beautiful!!
Damn that caught me off guard. Beautifully done
Oh this was devastatingly beautiful. The picture you’ve painted with your words… the despondent slip of old grief… mmfff.
The ending was so poignant and emotional! Loved your take on this challenge!
This is so touching, brilliant.
I second Gabriel's choice of line. Loved the poignancy this evoked. Excellent!
This is absolutely marvelous, in both subject and craft!! The line "Vertical shafts of light pillaring the in between spaces" stuck with me in particular- I can see that coming to life in my mind's eye. Thank you for sharing this masterpiece!
Memories add value to our lives. Nicely done and thanks for sharing!
Fruitlet is a new word for me too! Great job.