Written for: Sunday Muse #91
“Hello Sunday Muse folk! Fireblossom here with your weekly picture prompt. This week I’ve selected a bottle tree. In old southern tradition, hanging bottles from a tree is intended to catch or confuse negative spirits. They are said either to be caught inside the bottles and live there, or if blue bottles are used, these confuse the spirits into thinking it is water where they’ll drown or sky where they’ll lose their way. No matter which, bottle trees protect the person living there from negative influences.”
Now son, all you need
heed is this here advice
from your Daddy. Those
blue bottles will attract
the spirit of water, so’s
you’ll never be thirsty.
The green ones are lucky.
Fireflies get all up
inside them, and leave
gifts, so’s you’ll never
be poor. It’s them yellow
fellows you have to watch
out for. Wasps bore inside
them, hidin’, just awaitin’
to sting the hand
of anybody fool enough
to touch yellow bottles.
Now tomorrow, I’ll tell
you the tale of Cousin
Earl, and the red bottle
of sin.
Oh, this is clever….I love the meanings behind each of the colours.
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Thanks, Sherry!
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Damn that Earl anyway! 😛 Not the “Hello, My Name Is Earl” Earl is it?
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No, but who knows?
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I so love this Sara!! I would love to hear about what Earl did!
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I’m a thinkin’ on it.
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Yes, I so adore this clever piece.
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Thanks, Susie!
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Wonderful! i like that good and bad are both present–and that yellow is stingers. And I love the idea that the stories continue beyond the bounds of the poem.
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Thanks, Susan!
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Well this is stellar! Every line, every word! I am laughing.
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Thanks, Helen!
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