In the Barrel Composter

Chris Ellery

August 27, 2023

I put a few moldy grapes in the composter.

The next day bees have come

and turned the drum into a hive.

Already a queen and waxy cells 

beginning to fill—chrysanthemum, 

acanthus, zinnia, marigold, 

goldenrod, passionflower, blazing star, 

plumbago, beautyberry, blue sage. 

Winter looms in the blooms of Indian summer. 

The insects hover and buzz,

swarming nuggets of an overripe season.

What is the sun to their eyes?

Inside the black barrel, amid the vegetable rot

of kitchen scraps and yard clippings,

the last colors of gardens, fields, and woods

are distilled into gold.

Chris Ellery resides in San Angelo, where he taught film, creative writing, and American literature for 31 years and where summer often stretches into late autumn. His current interests as reflected in "In the Barrel Composter" include alchemy, Daoism, and the symbolist movement in literature. Contact him at ellerychris10@gmail.com.