brix rising

silver sheen grapes
burst on his tongue
sipped with air
open lipped
not this time…
not now…yet soon
brix will rise

omens precede Bacchus entrance
spirit Bacchus, Bacchus blessing
for potency in old stock

crows caw…restless in poplars…
grape leaves rustle in rows
where there is no wind
against the vintner’s skin

as he waits…
lying beneath a stretch of vines
haunch warmed…stilled
inhaling dense promise of the wine

then intensity of light
a pressing down of heat
a momentary sleepy spell

crows angle from the trees
into a haze of sun…
a  breeze
a stirring against clusters…
and rising in the brix…
time certain of blessing in the grapes

Bonnie Marshall

Art by James Lively