Harvest

Fields of emerald turn to swarms of golden piles 

piles are swaddled in black warm and dry 

the crow travels high, cross country for miles

swaddled piles of hay mark his way as he lets out a cry

up in the sky a black malicious silhouette  squawks

the mouse scatters hiding swiftly under the black calluses

a small hole, in which is home, quite a long walk

from where she sought out the berries, gifting her babies and aiding the growing solace

Bushes filled with blackberries blossoming in their thousand plump and juicy, magnificent in their delicate purple suits

creatures travel great lengths to feast, from mice and crows to cattle with band

autumnal beginnings and cooler weather, leaven now fallen yet bushes bountiful in their fruit 

Golden gifts, a glimpse of nature’s innocence remain

For now, whilst autumn claims his crown again.

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This piece is a part of a tribute to Exeter student Jaz Kenny. As well as featured online, this tribute will be published in the upcoming print journal.

‘It is a privilege to teach first year students in their first term – to be part of a time of discovery, excitement, and flowering. One student who began her degree in English and Creative writing in 2021, and who was full of promise and imagination, was Jaz Kenny. It was a terrible shock to all of us when we learned that she had died, suddenly, from medical complications, just a few weeks into her time as a student at Exeter. As convenor and lecturer on the introductory Creative Writing module, Write After Reading, I wasn’t lucky enough to get to know Jaz personally; but many of her fellow students were, and so was her seminar tutor, and her death touched all of us deeply. To honour Jaz’s passion for creative writing, her fellow first year Creative Writing students decided to produce a collection of creative tributes to her. Those tributes, together with three of Jaz’s own poems that she composed as part of her course, are included in this special issue, published with love and care by the wonderful team at Enigma Journal. Jaz, and your family, this is for you.’

Ellen Wiles, Lecturer in Creative Writing