Karl Kliparchuk
The sun is shining today.
I’m with my family,
A happy bunch.
We are round and ripe and freckled.
A sun kissed tan on our skin.
In the spring I was born
And began as a blossom.
But then I transformed
Into a small green orb.
As the spring and summer rains
Along with the rich soil below nourished me
And my family
We grew as a happy bunch.
We swelled and sweetened.
Then changed from green to a golden glow.
But now it is October.
And our family has been harvested and into a bin we go.
Over gravel roads to our new home at the winery.
Ouch, we are tipped onto a conveyor
Where human hands check us and let us pass
If we are perfect enough.
Then down a chute where metal fingers flail
And separate me from my family.
Once connected by stems we are now each alone.
And I fall through a hole and onto another conveyor
Where I and my family are in the dark,
Then feel a rolling movement and pressure.
Such pressure, I cannot hold myself together
And burst.
And then I transformed.
I am now sweet liquid, clear and together
Mixed with my family again.
We flow together into a stainless tank along with other family bunches.
Where we will transform again.
Intermingling with yeasts that change our sweetness to alcohol
Where others will enjoy our family in bottle for their family celebrations.
Karl is a retired post-secondary teacher that enjoys poetry and wine. He is a reviewer of wines, and self-publishes his wine reviews, including pairings with dishes, and wine travel. He has been reviewing wines since the mid-1990s in Vancouver, BC. He covers wines from around the world, and loves to travel to wine regions, walk through the vineyards, talk to the winemakers, and see what makes each area special.