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Bitter Harvest
Gill Learner
Dark limbs twisted into runes, dowager hair
unloosed to capture shine, the tree stands firm
on roots screwed deep into Vaucluse rock.
Indifferent to myth and symbol, patient
of man and mistral, frost and drought,
it offers gold in tiny packages: gifts
for generations who can read
next Monday’s weather on the wind,
know cailletier from tanche, sow and
harvest according to wax and wane.
Down centuries baladi trees have given
food and light, material for carving, polishing.
Now their roots are clutching Hebron air
as the bulldozers retreat.
Note: In June 2015 the Israeli army once again destroyed Palestinian olive groves in order to expand settlements.
Gill's poems have have won a number of prizes and been published widely, most recently in Agenda and The Emma Press anthology Dance. Her first collection was The Agister’s Experiment (Two Rivers Press, 2011) and she is hoping for a second in 2016.
Well Versed is edited by Jody Porter – wveditor@gmail.com
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