They’re commonly grown on low vines,
Genus of the heath family,
Small, sour, seedy fruit tastes fine,
As most everyone will agree.


Good for kidneys and bladder too,
The whole urinary tract.
Keeps infections to very few -
Medicinal use from way back.


Plants have drooping flowers, all pink,
And small leaves of thick evergreen.
The juice is my favorite drink,
Without sauce, dull Thanksgiving scene.


In the northeast, cultivated
In bogs, flooded for protection.
To blueberries, they’re related,
That heath family connection.


The harvest is something to see,
With the pickers combing through plants.
Up to hips in the bogs they be,
Water saturating their pants.


Near Cape Cod, the Oceanspray crew
Offers tours to show folks their stuff.
There’s a neat juice dispenser, too.
Samples free, and that’s cheap enough.

© By RickMack (Rmrickmack@aol.com)