The Apple

The Apple

In the long grass you could still see if you looked carefully

The red skin and the round shape that had fallen from the tree

She had picked most of the fruit in the late summer

When the warmth had encouraged early ripening

But this apple had been missed and fallen to the ground

There were marks where a blackbird had pecked

Seeking nourishment as winter fingers came

To envelop the garden each morning in frosted mist

The blackbird had pecked away but not returned

Upon further examination you would have seen more

The teeth marks of some rodent that had visited

The winter was harsh yet the creature had not returned

She had seen the hedgehog one morning

When the sun had broken through for a few hours

Wandering past the plum tree near the fence

Then snuffling beneath the discarded leaves of a vine

But she had not seen the visit to the apple

So she was not aware the creature never returned

The crop had been heavy and she was pleased

Giving her thanks to a deity in which she believed

She had used her stepladder to reach the highest branch

Five full baskets were a reason for some celebration

Some she had given to neighbours and friends

Others were used for apple tart to take to church

Then she had made lots of jam and apple jelly

That would help see her through the winter

She was proud of her achievements that year

She loved to hang bird feeders in her trees

Full of corn and peanuts for feathered friends

But as her health faltered over the months

She did not notice there were fewer birds

Nor was she able to see the apple on the ground

Now she spent her time inside her home

Starting to sense that she was all alone

Eating her apple jam seemed to make her worse

She wondered if she were the victim of a curse

They found her in early Spring before the thaw

Almost a skeleton she was limp and thin

An opened jar of apple jam by her bedside

She was prepared to lie in her final resting place

At the service church pews were nearly empty

The coffin taken to lie beneath her favourite tree

A few handfuls of earth tossed into the grave

Only then did a pall bearer notice and remark

Upon the red apple lying in the grass

Copyright: David Hopcroft December 2024

(To be continued)