Brier, bramble, gorse and furze,
Nettles, spines and sticky burrs.
Prickle, stickle, thistle, thorn —
Reminders when the curse was born.
Raspberry, blackberry, wag ‘n bietjie here.
Redberry lips approach the bier.
Remove a barb and beast’s a friend.
Pies for pudding, a fitting end.
*****************************************
Linda is hosting at dVerse today and challenges us to write a Quadrille (poem of exactly 44 words, excluding the title) using the word “bramble.” Come play!
For those of you who may not know, “wag ‘n bietjie” is Afrikaans for “wait a bit” and is one of the names for the Ziziphus mucronata tree (also known as the buffalo thorn), called “wait a bit” because the thorns are known to hook and hold its victims.
Jul 27, 2020 @ 23:19:34
What an interesting fact, and this reads so much like a spell being cast!
Jul 27, 2020 @ 23:24:01
A silly rhyme for Monday! 😊
Jul 27, 2020 @ 23:57:02
A remarkable poem with bonus information. Thank you for interpreting. I was amazed at the number of synonyms for brambles!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:31:52
Thank you. I wanted to go with the love of raspberries, but I got caught up in the sound of brambly wood. 😊
Jul 28, 2020 @ 00:02:27
There is a sing-song, nursery rhyme flavor to this that is playful. Nice!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:32:40
Thank you. 😊
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:59:12
You’re welcome 🙂
Jul 28, 2020 @ 00:09:30
Oh those last two lines…
Yum. In sooo many ways.
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:39:31
Thank you. 😊
Jul 28, 2020 @ 00:17:01
An enchanting write! 💝
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:39:47
😊 Thanks!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 00:32:12
I love this!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:40:04
😊 ❤️
Jul 28, 2020 @ 02:20:25
I love how lyrical this is. Great piece here!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:40:26
Thank you! 😊
Jul 28, 2020 @ 03:52:23
The rhyme and rhythm give this a classical feel…informative too!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:40:48
😊 Thank you.
Jul 28, 2020 @ 04:28:57
I like your reference to Androcles and the Lion in your poem. Very nice!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 06:43:53
😊 Thanks for catching that. I live in thorn country; everything has prickles here. 😂
Jul 28, 2020 @ 15:46:43
Wow! you must be in desert country! That is a story my father used to tell me when I was little!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 15:53:39
Africa. Everything seems to have thorns in Africa. 😂
Jul 28, 2020 @ 15:56:27
Oh Wow! Well stick around and I will show you green leaves and trees!! :>)
Jul 28, 2020 @ 10:20:19
This reads like a witch’s spell, with wonderful rhyme and rhythm. I especially love the rhythm in ‘Prickle, stickle, thistle, thorn’ and the alliterative barb and beast and ‘Pies for pudding’. I was Androcles in a school production of Shaw’s play.
Jul 28, 2020 @ 16:00:22
So glad you liked it. My favourite thing to do is play with words. Androcles! Wow! Quite a part. You must have great memories of that production. 😊
Jul 28, 2020 @ 12:53:45
Well done!
Jul 28, 2020 @ 15:52:22
😊 Thanks.
Jul 29, 2020 @ 04:18:57
Made my mouth water a little!
Jul 29, 2020 @ 19:09:35
I do love berries! 😊 And pie!
Jul 29, 2020 @ 05:19:48
Love this. 🙂
Jul 29, 2020 @ 19:08:38
😊❤️
Jul 29, 2020 @ 13:31:54
I enjoyed reading this poem. The flow and structure have a feel I can’t explain. Maybe it is a spell. 🙂
Jul 29, 2020 @ 19:08:14
😊 Maybe. 😂
Jul 29, 2020 @ 18:29:16
I love the rhyme of this.
Jul 29, 2020 @ 20:47:49
❤️ Thanks! 😊