Blackberries: Wild Urbanity

the sun was up but 
not up so high that it could see the blackberries 
drooping over the leaning gray fence slats

I was up too, on the last leg of my morning walk 
down a quiet gravelled and grassy back alley
that wandered aimlessly from the paved street.

blackberries hung heavy, some ripe, some still green, 
dried flower crusty collars scrunched back and down
while the youngster flowers bloomed high and pink.

blackberries, growing wild along fences and poles
their roots latticed beneath the city
wrapped around and through urban infrastructure.

small ripe blackberries offered themselves 

to my outstretched fingers bravely plucking 

dark juicy berries from beneath 

shading leaves and protective thorns.

it was only a small handful, but destined for
my breakfast bowl of oatmeal, butter and honey
and enough to treat my tastebuds with 

flavoured theme of a Victoria summer.

the afternoon sun, hot and bright
warmed and ripened the bushes 

loaded with the fruits of nature’s labour ~
my breakfast bowl and tastebuds will be treated again to this abundance.

“You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.”

~ Attributed to Isadora Duncan