They don’t grow on trees!

The gardener’s indignant pronouncement

Well of course they do! – or at least on bushes

But I suppose you could say it’s a co-operative venture

We need the collective effort

Of plant and tree, of soil and sun

And gentle rain or watering can

And the loving care of those who tend the crop

Thus the gain from all this labour

Creation, but not just by accident!

At last a harvest to delight the eye

And to excite the palate

Ken Fisher

Spring Forward, Fall Back

Darkening days remind us that we have reached the day

When gentle Autumn sunshine to winter grey gives sway

In spring the clocks leaped forward, now they must fall back

Let’s hope some time will pass yet before the frosts attack

Of course we should be pleased we gain another hour

A little time is granted from Old Man Time’s own dower

But whether we will notice these extra minutes given

And if we simply sleep instead surely we’re forgiven

So on Sunday morn when that precious hour is granted

Fall back upon your pillow, don’t be disenchanted

Let gentle dreams and happy thoughts fill your sleepy head

And enjoy that extra hour in your warm and cosy bed!

Ken Fisher

Early Winter Frost

The clocks put back the week before
Already cars enwrapped in hoar
Window scrapers called to service
For the future we feel nervous

Does this herald the arrival
Of another challenge to survival?
Perhaps this fear precipitate
Too soon to settle winter’s fate

And with the cold comes brilliant sun
Both young and old partake in fun
The parks are full like a cried fair
Stale lungs are filled with frosty air

Autumn transformed to winter’s chill
Thus earth its treasures to distil
The trees bereft of fruit or leaf
Present a skeletal motif

And bustling crowds in shops and street
Anxiously at times compete
To finish all they have to do
Fore twilight heralds its curfew

But darkening days need not make fear
Life still provides much that can cheer
As we return to hearth and home
Content for now, no longer roam

Thus life adjusts to fit the season
Each changing month provides the reason
As daylight hours begin to shrink
Of warmth and home is what we think

But in due time as days roll on
We gradually discern that dawn
Creeps ever earlier though the pane
Renews our spirits once again

Ken Fisher

Autumn into Winter

Autumnal winds and darkening skies have already taken toll

The branches of once sheltering bowers stripped naked to the soul

No longer sunlight shafting through the leaves, trees stark against the sky

Fading memories of summer warmth, bring to our hearts a sigh

But all’s not lost, the Autumn tints can yet delight the eye

And oft far above our heads a lofty azure sky

Beneath our feet a multi-textured carpet cushions where we walk

And as twilight comes it’s home and hearth the object of our thought

But this season of transition is not all foreboding, filled with gloom

Of course the flowers of summer no longer radiate their bloom

But while horizons drop and outdoor prospects shrink

A closer focus affords more time to pause, a chance to think

So as we reflect on nature’s yearly pattern, and every changing phase

Our inner eye may contemplate the passage of our days

Let’s give to our Creator thanks for all that’s passed, yet what may remain

And lay again our trust in God who all our life sustains

Ken Fisher

Lupins

Stretching upwards to the light

Radiant colours ever bright

Their poker flowers of tapered shape

Our attention can’t escape

Lupinus is its proper name

This legume should enjoy much fame

Not only employed for decoration

Useful food for many a nation

Its seeds are sometimes used in cooking

If protein and fibre we are seeking

Low in starch and gluten free

Promoting health you must agree

Lupins used in agriculture

And even more in horticulture

Cattle by this plant are fed

Its blossoms brighten garden beds

So don’t o’erlook the humble flower

Whose colours beautify the hour

Give it a place in your display

It’s sure to illume every day

Ken Fisher