23 October: God’s Seed

AI art. elderly man and woman, grim expressions of labour on land farm. Dark background, muted colours.
AI Midjourney

God’s Seed

I know a woman who cleans
dirt off a bar of soap.

Her husband is a clean man,
always smells of Wright’s Coal Tar.

Spends his days on knobby knees,
planting seed against the will
of God’s own wind.

His only mistress is the land —
widely indifferent to his wife,
who dreams of the day when

his manhood ploughs more
than silty soil.

And there they stand,
the strangest of company, waiting
for the other to make a first move.


Some artwork is created using Midjourney AI, and is identified as such in the ALT text or captioned. Imagery and poems ©Misky 2023.

21 responses to “23 October: God’s Seed”

  1. … his wife,
    who dreams of the day when

    his manhood ploughs more
    than silty soil…

    I can so see this, Misky. Well done! ❤

    ~David

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    1. Thanks, David! ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Do you remember Lifebuoy? My gran’s house used to smell of that.

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    1. I do! My grandpa always used coal tar soap, and probably by association, I’ve always loved the scent of it.

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      1. The smell is so distinctive, I suspect it must hold memories for lots of us. Apparently you can still buy Lifebuoy but it is just a brand owned by Unilever. And totally different ingredients.

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  3. I once worked in a factory making Wright’s Coal Tar Soap among other things – the smell in that department was so awful, you had to hold your breath as you passed through on the way to the canteen. Love this poem, not so much the soap…

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    1. I associate it with my grandfather, so it’s a joyous scent for me. 🥰

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      1. I don’t mind the scent of the soap itself and I think it might also have associations with my grandparents too, but in heating up the soap pellets (which we didn’t make) and adding the other ingredients the process had an unholy pong – quite different from the finished product!

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  4. In fact I really, really like this poem!

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    1. Thanks, Andrew.

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  5. The wooden spoon!
    Washing soap; that would be me 🙄
    Morning, sis

    Liked by 1 person

  6. And waiting… and waiting… and waiting… and waiting… and waiting… and waiting… and waiting… and waiting… and waiting…

    Why does writing of it gets you tired but not doing it

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m going on the assumption that this is a rhetorical question 😂 because I’m not touching this one.

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  7. Very American Gothic-esque… 🙂
    I clean soap…

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    1. I’ve been known to do it myself when it’s looking minging. 🤣 Sssh. Our secret.

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  8. Scent will always take you back. I think I lived next to this couple when young! Just back from surgery, so I hope this makes sense. 🙂

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    1. Sometimes I worry that I’m becoming that couple! Well, not both of them – just one of them. The woman most likely.

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Your comments are always welcome