Epitaph for a Nectarine Field

Just like a priest on an altar behind his pulpit,
A sharp business person in a state-of-the-art building
A farmer has her farm to go to for labor, meditation,
Communion and connection with those
Who participate in the noble art of creation
Leaning on the edge of the field, she starts
Reminiscing about the fond memories
Of success as well as failure
For all those years of harsh physical labor
She has her calluses to show

Never too far from her mind is the constant need of the field
News of the next freeze, over-supply at the end of the harvest,
Rising costs of farming, more hiring of field hands,
Looming takeover or buyout by a larger, commercial farming company
A nectarine's grower's hope is anchored
On the promise of a good harvest --always in need of larger fruits
As requested by the broker, the retailers and the contract company
Great crops that will produce excellent returns
To pay back the bank loans
A light breeze shook the leaves on the branch
The nectarine trees look tired and ready for picking
Red, multicolored, the fruits are begging to bite into
Farmers and passersby smile ans take snapshots
Indeed, the true virtues and values of America are rural

The grower stands by her truck
And looks at her vast acres with pride
The crew foreman tells her about the third picking
"No market for the small fruits---larger fruits are all gone."
It soon dawned on this family farmer that the fruits
Of her hard labor, many hours of family decision will soon be gone
A larger farming company has been gobbling similar nectarine fields up
Yet, they are worth fighting for; they are worth saving
Only memories of fun family farming days will stay behind

Over-supply and heavy competition are pushing prices down
Too much nectarine on the market now!
The same way there is too much grape around
Over-production leads to meager returns, low prices
It's the harsh reality of an eventual bulldozer
It's time to start searching for replacement crops
The pruning, tilling and harvesting stories
Replay in the grower's mind over and over
It's a constant conflict of whether to stay in business one more season
Or just sell out to the nearby developers or faceless conglomerate

Difficult decisions, regulations, farm management and pest issues take a toll
On everyone who is attached to this farm
With hard-to-market fruits, bills will need to be paid
Workers, farm laborers depend on the returns
The images of her childhood and adolescence years
Started streaming out on the screen of her creative mind
She suddenly feels reinvigorated
She finds new motivation to struggle to keep the farm
Passing it on to her sons becomes her primary focus
She'll grow nectarines for a few more seasons
For, she has found that there is no greater joy
Than to see young kids and complete strangers
Enjoying the fruits of her labor in a far away place
Yet, in just a small corner of the earth
Once for all, she witnesses the end of a long journey
Looking at her callused hands, she drives away inspired.

Copyright 2002. All Rights reserved. No portion of this poem may be duplicated or copied without the expressed written consent of the poet, J.J. Charles.

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