corn | nichepoetryandprose

nichepoetryandprose

poetry and prose about place

Posts Tagged ‘corn’

cornrows

with 2 comments

cornrows

at the first rustle

of shadow on skin

I wake beside him

I slide from the bed

flip the latch, climb through

the window, he will

be angry

the thought delights me

I cross to the cornfield

silken rows of ribbon

higher than my head

an army, khaki-clad

could march here

one row over

and we could all

have solitude

I shift rows

suddenly

catch a glimpse

of tassels

chevrons

boot heels

click into the next row

ribbons quiver

takes nine minutes

to find a cornrow

north to south

leads back to the house

I cross the yard

pause on the threshold

I hesitate

a stranger

the cornstalks whisper

I raise my fist

hammer on the door

Published as: ‘cornrows’, Spring 2013, The Antigonish Review 173

Written by jane tims

November 11, 2013 at 7:28 am

Posted in growing and gathering

Tagged with autumn, corn, corn field, cornrows, poetry, writing

When I think of the fall, I always think about corn – the rustling of the cornstalks in the fields, shucking corn for a corn-boil, eating corn-on-the-cob. In New Brunswick, the corn has been harvested by now, but I thought I’d try a watercolour.

On a trip a couple of years ago, we were very impressed by the huge cornfields. I took many photos, including this one …

At the time, I was doing pencil sketches for my Blog and I did this sketch from the photo …

This is my watercolour, done a few days ago from the same photo …

October 28, 2013 ‘September corn’ Jane Tims

Written by jane tims

November 8, 2013 at 7:29 am

Posted in growing and gathering

Tagged with art, autumn, comparison, corn, cornfield, cornrows, local food, pencil drawing, plants, watercolor

comparing landscapes

with 4 comments

When you are visiting an area away from home, what do you notice about the landscape?

As we were driving the roads of south-east Ontario, I was always comparing the scenes I was seeing with the landscapes of home in south-central New Brunswick.

Both areas are hilly and rural, with a strong agricultural base. Both are forested wherever farmland is not the main land use. The trees in south-eastern Ontario are predominantly hardwood with some cedar, fir and pine, whereas ours are mostly mixed wood with a stronger component of conifers (spruce, fir and pine).

Probably the thing I noticed most about the Ontario farming landscape was the predominance of corn as a crop. When we were there, the ‘eating’ corn had already been harvested, but corn for silage (mostly used for cattle) was growing everywhere. It stood tall in golden fields, mostly broadcast, without corn-rows.

The corn was ready for harvest, the corn kernels held in stout, starchy ears. I think ‘ears’ is such an apt word for corn since the sense of hearing is shaken awake when you stand in a cornfield. This time of year, the long leaves are dry and rustle in the slightest breeze, carrying on a whispering conversation in an unknowable language.