You didn’t mention

these just-ripe blackberries

when you told me about

this tree-lined trail.

 

Neither the smell of

them warmed by the sun

nor their impossible

color were noted

 

(a color which can

only be described as:

‘August Mountain Blackberries

In the Shade of Evergreens’).

 

Maybe these berries

weren’t here when you hiked

this trail; maybe you didn’t

witness their perfect ripeness,

 

and maybe it’s me

who should be detailing

their succulence to you,

sharing their perfection.

 

But I can’t just now

I think, rolling another

just-ripe berry into my mouth–

these berries remain

 

a secret the bears

and I share between us

in the stillness of (and in

fellowship with) these trees.