Published in Overland Issue 208 Spring 2012 · Main Posts Picking Grapes Paula Green dawn starts up the sound of a tractor between my legs buckets to fill the grid of days marked out before us the boss a barrel living in fear of rain at the wrong time a lisp spraying poison across a row of pickers back for more insults? we snip the wind snip the sun hanging red liquid autumn crushing drops of light stored in bunches thigh to thigh with a man dark-skinned eyes moving along the rows touchy feely fingers creeping through the vines shadow hands reaching up the skirts of leaves then stripping them off flat on my back at smoko a rhythm in the pulse of the season rotting down wine-black the river pouring through the legend of vintage in a straight line Paula Green Paula Green lives on the East Gippsland coast writing songs and poems. More by Paula Green › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 20 March 20262 April 2026 · Main Posts Final results of the 2025 Judith Wright Poetry Prize Editorial team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize seeks outstanding poetry from new and emerging writers. This year’s judges, Shastra Deo, Harry Reid and […] 20 March 202620 March 2026 · Main Posts Final results of the 2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize Editorial team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize seeks outstanding original short fiction of up to 3000 words themed loosely around the notion […]
