Blackberrying

Blackberrying Summary | Detailed Summary

The first stanza of "Blackberrying" begins by describing the setting as a deserted road near the sea. Only the speaker and the blackberries are present in the scene. The blackberries are on both sides of the road, but they are more concentrated on the right side. The speaker describes the rolling hills of blackberries. The blackberries are plump with their juices and they are as big as the author's thumb. The red juices are compared to blood. The red juices on the speaker's fingers can be compared to "blood sisters" who give their blood to each other out of love. The soft berries conform to the shape of the milk bottle she uses to collect them.

The second stanza leaves off where the first ended. There is a group of choughs flying above making an unpleasant noise. The birds, through their noise, are putting up an objection to something. The author is overcome with a sudden realization that she will not see the sea today. The choughs look like "bits of burnt paper" blowing in the sky and illuminating the bright green of the blackberry bushes. There is one bush so overfilled with blackberries that the author walks towards it. When standing next to the blackberry bush, the author notes that the bush is also filled with flies which are eating the ripe berries. The flies are full of pleasure from the blackberries. The author makes another turn down the road and suddenly the blackberry bushes are no more.

As the blackberry bushes have ended, the author is looking forward to the sea that she had thought was near, that was before the call of the choughs. The author is walking in between two hills that act as a wind tunnel blowing the air towards her. The author observes that there is no salt in the air, thus no sea. The author makes another turn and she is faced with the side of one of the hills which is made of an orange rock. The orange rock extends upward. The orange rock faces a great space twinkling with white and silver lights. She hears the sounds of metal on metal.