the Pacific Northwest (Washington & Oregon) annually produce 77% of the fresh U.S. apple crop
Original DDE™ art: “Cider Season” by: rob kistner © 10/21/25
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driving east from the coast
Columbia Gorge opens like a hymn —
mist lifting off the pines
the river winding on
gantle as memory
we laugh
as we travel deeper into this realm
scarecrows
guarding their kingdoms of crimson and gold
each orchard
a nurtured secret
kept by rain
fragrance of cider
applewood smoke
and something older —
a sweetness that waits all year
for this soft collapse of summer
from the April explosion of blossoms
that herald a crisp delicious awakening
we amble ‘tween rows of trees
breathing in the intoxicating promise
hands brushing bark
cool as stone
apples
round as bursting joyous hearts
and I think —
this is how the world knows us
will remember us
not in words
but in the taste of what we bring forth
to share
later —
as light fades violet over Hood River
Cascade’s climbs painted in moonlight
music carries from the Harvest Fest
fiddles
banjoes
scrub tub base
pulsing with a rhythm of love
wafting throughout the valley
scent of carameled apples
a slow dance between rainclouds.
and I know —
autumn is not a season at all
but October’s promise
whispered in the space that surrounds us
during this cider season
rob kistner © 10/20/25
Poetry at: dVerse