By Dr. Oliver Tearle. “Blackberry - Picking” by Seamus Heaney is one of the great poems of the 20th century about disappointment, or, more precisely, “Blackberry picking” by Seamus Heaney is a poem about time, greed, limits and struggles of life and the disappointments that follow. The poem is written, Analysis. PDF Quote Share. Renata Kelly, MA Certified Educator. Last update. Blackberry - Picking, by Seamus Heaney, is a poem, Blackberry - Picking, is a poem that contrasts childhood with adulthood and explores the disappointments and tensions that arise from it. In two short stanzas, the reader is immersed in the exciting and idealistic world of "Blackberry - Picking" is a poetic piece that tells the story of picking blackberries in the summer as a child. The author uses detailed descriptive language to tell the anecdote, comparing juicy blackberries to "thickened wine" and cleverly inserting visual adjectives like "peppery" to describe the appearance of.