Against a crust of snow
a vibrant mask appears
amidst white, a welcomed plight.
Trailing, twisting, turning…
Bitter sweet good-byes
beckoning eyes to garner;
baited, bribe’s delight.
Stony slopes and timber thicket…
Climbing woody heights,
clamber in clusters,
canker or cursed blight.
Value the Veracious Vine…
Drink not bittersweet liquor,
dulls the shrouded mind,
dims the veiled eye’s sight.
“I am the Vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for
apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
At dVerse we are entertaining poisonous plants. Hopefully, we’ll all survive.
Patti Wolf 
‘stony slopes and timber thicket’ – love that image!
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What a magical piece – I loved every carefully chosen word
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So well done, Patricia–and so true. We got in trouble with fruit thanks to Eve–good thing we have that vine to cling to.
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love the winter scene and your use of such delicious words. crust of snow was especially tasty. clear admonition to be cautious with bright coloured fruit.
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Love the warning! Not touching the fruit or drinking the bittersweet wine. Love the verse too. One of my favorites.
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I wrote something about bittersweet a short time back. It’s a lovely autumn decoration, but beware!! Great write, my friend!
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Excellent poetic husbandry here!
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I really like the alliterative bits:
“beckoning eyes to garner;
baited, bribe’s delight”
“Value the Veracious Vine”
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Beautifully done! I love the powerful image of the vibrant mask against a crust of snow, the ‘bitter sweet good-byes’ and the final warning:
‘Drink not bittersweet liquor,
dulls the shrouded mind,
dims the veiled eye’s sight’.
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The fruit is sometimes a deception.. love the metaphor
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Very nice! Don’t eat the fruit… rather abide in the vine! Nice touch!!
Dwight
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I particularly love the last stanza. “Drink not bitter sweet liquor“. Terrific stuff.
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