the plum tree

The plum tree blossomed
and she knew Spring
was here.

She was young
and therefore moved fluidly
from yesterday's winter to today's spring
like the ever-pleasing honey bee--
the flowers blend one into the next
(and she forgets)
the purpose of the journey.

But she is here now.

The plum tastes so sweet upon her tongue
and she is young
and there is music in the air.

She questions her looks - when she should realize
-she will never be more beautiful-;
dewy tears on milky skin and honeyed lips.

Joy is fleeting, but so are smiles
and they always seem to come back for more...

So maybe she's in luck.

The plum is soft and malleable
-so is her heart-
which makes her easy prey but she
is full of innocence
and so blissfully
she will be
broken.

There will be a journey and along the way she will forget
the sensation of the sweet plum
upon her tongue.

but she is here now.

so maybe

she's in luck.

 

Reviews

[John Butterfield]

Beautiful piece of work. Very atmospheric
I have a plum tree and though it looks bare just now soon it will be covered with blossom and then that fruit - so fresh, sweet and vibrant when you eat it straight from the tree.
And you convey a spirit of optimism despite the inevitable forgetting on the journey.

[Crap!]

I reviewed this before it seems but I have a walking stick I carved from a Japanese plum tree that was twisted by a honeysuckle vine. It is the most gorgeous piece of unstained wood that you could imagine, red swirls with delicate yellow pin-striping caressing the edges. I wrapped a handle of tanned rawhide round the hilt and tied a thong of leather through a worm hole at the top which I enlarged to suit that purpose. The Japanese plum resembles a giant cherry, red in color, with the flesh and sweetness of an ordinary plum. When you bite through the skin the redness "bleeds" into the yellow mimicing a tequila sunrise mixture. I wouldn't sell it for gold.
My dead father planted the tree and I hope it blooms again this year. Hugs!

[Amberly...]

very good...keep up the good work!!!!!

[Doug Case]

This has been on my official "Reading List" for quite some time now. Today I decided that I should take it off. =)

"Joy is fleeting, and so are smiles." Luckily, though, hugs last awhile longer!

I really like this, Kara, especially the emphasis you strike on both her youth and her transitions (such as winter to spring and her aging process with the plum). Yes, maybe she's in luck.

[Paul Grimsley]

poise is the word that comes to mind -- this poem has a ballerina's grace. i also visualised it as an oriental silk painting breathed into life and moving. if a fruit can taste sweet and melancholy, which i believe to be the case, then you have truly captured that here.

[MarcZw]

I just came back to this one�

[H. A. M.]

"and so blissfully she will be broken.' I can only think of the first bite of the plum as you just break the skin. Nice!

[David P. Eckert]

I like that this one is working on multiple levels. Is the she a girl, a woman, the plum tree adorned with flowers in spring, its spring beauty fleeting, cyclical? Is she a bird in the tree, sitting amid the leaves and flowers, poking at a ripe plum, just existing, just being? The imagery is excellent too. We are transported.

The plum is soft and malleable
-so is her heart-
which makes her easy prey but she
is full of innocence
and so blissfully
she will be
broken.

David

[Luke Brooks]

I love the lighthearted tone of the poem and that you were still able to mis in some real content in it too.

There will be a journey and along the way she will forget
the sensation of the sweet plum
upon her tongue.

but she is here now.

so maybe

she's in luck.


What an amazing ending.
It really sold me on it.
Good job.

[Tony Murray]

this is a very pretty poem. It is colorful and visual. Ir has a warmth, a hint of sadness, but overall it speaks of promise. I really enjoyed it K.

[Benjamin L. Weekly]

Hey, I think I like your stuff! Go figure. I can see you have great talent. I love how you repeatedly draw us back to the plum in her hand as you talk about her youth and innocence. I also enjoyed how you basically said that the pureness of youth is as fleeting as the taste of one fruit on the tongue.

"The plum is soft and malleable
-so is her heart-"
Ah, here is an example of your parentheses statements, this time with a dash. I really enjoyed these kind of "side points", seemingly thrown in. So soft is the heart of a young woman, unfortunately I inadvertently affected one recently, for which I am deep sorrow as we cannot be together at present.

Thank you for the ride through spring, and for the insightful look into youth. Another instant favorite,
- Tiger