late autumn pokeweed
yields her fruit as birds harvest
what nature offers
yields her fruit as birds harvest
what nature offers
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Photo by Charles Kinnaird
*There is a story behind this week's haiku. Earlier in the summer, I saw some pokeweed in my backyard. I left it to grow knowing that the birds would enjoy the berries. I have enjoyed watching them fly down to pick the berries. I have also been reading Braiding Sweetgrass, by Native American botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer. She offers what she has learned in academia as well as wisdom from her Native American elders.
One thing she talks about is how her indigenous ancestors were taught to harvest only what is offered, and then to take only half. This assures future harvests as well as protection of the land. One of her chapters is titled "The Honorable Harvest" in which she elaborates on those indigenous principles. From what I observe of the mockingbird, the cardinal, the brown thrasher, and the mourning dove, they practice honorable harvest by taking only what is offered and leaving some for another day.
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