Growing Old
Apple Boxes
By Maurice Bernstein, M.D.
A stack of old wooden apple boxes
Each waiting to hold another peck
Mackintosh, Braeburn and maybe even Spitzenburg
Hoping their wooden ribs
Hold, not break and spill the contents
And be considered useful for another season.
A group of old men and women
Each waiting to hold the child
Their own great grandchild or maybe even a neighbor’s child
Hoping their arthritic hands
Grip, not let go and drop their precious contents
And be considered useful for another season.
[Photographed by me yesterday at an apple farm in San Luis Obispo County, California.]
posted by Maurice Bernstein, M.D. @ 10:05:00 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Dr. Bernstein, that was beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes. You have a beautiful spirit ... thank you for sharing it with us.
Moof, the next day when I got home from my trip to the central coast of California and I looked at the photograph I had taken of the of old apple boxes stacked over to the side, It suddenly dawned on me that there appeared an anthropomorphic relationship between these boxes and old people. I finished the poem in about 10 minutes and then I thought it would be appropriate to post on my blog. To be honest, I was amazed what I wrote and so quickly. You know.. maybe I was really thinking about myself. I will be 76 years old on November 6th. ..Maurice.
Gee whiz Dr Mo. I didnt know that you were so eloquent. All I could think of in connection with a 76th birthday was some kind of a horn. unohoo
And I don't even play a trombone. As I noted above I, too, was amazed at my, yes,eloquence. As I looked at the poem, it really seemed that it was written by someone else. What can we all learn from this? Well, perhaps it should encourage anyone to try putting into words on paper (or computer) when something tickles one's emotions and spirit. Sometimes putting feelings into written words may be instructive,constructive or even possibly therapeutic to the one experiencing the feeling and then when read by someone else provide the same values to them. ..Maurice.
By the way for those well-versed in apple variety nomenclature, I want to admit that when I originally posted the poem "Apple Boxes", I erroneously named an apple Braebum. Actually, I read the handwritten name on my bag of apples incorrectly. The correct name is Braeburn.. I have made the correction to the poem. For those interested, from Wikipedia comes the following:”The Braeburn is a cultivar of apple that is firm to the touch with a red vertical streaky appearance. Its colour intensity varies with different varieties. Braeburn apples have a unique combination of sweet and tart flavour. They are available late April to mid October and are medium to large in size. They are a popular fruit for growers for their export qualities.The cultivar is named after an area of the Moutere Hills near Motueka, New Zealand.” ..Maurice.
Dr. Bernstein ... a belated happy birthday. I'm so sorry that I missed it. Eloquent is a very good description of your poem ... and also applies to the poem's author.
About apples - Braeburns, and the Fujis which remind me of them, are two of my favorites - sweet, without being too soft. Like some people ...
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