almonds or arsenic?
unsure, he took another sip
ALMONDS
As each nut has a shape
And a delicate taste
Ask yourself this just once
About why they are good
Ample omega three
Anti inflammation
A healthy thing to eat
she smells of almonds and coconut
hair in curls and auburn hues
the perfect stance, the perfect glow
i feel my heart beats skip and fall
if she would see me, if she would hear
my close confessions within the dark
but here i stand against a beach cart
wondering how pathetic i may seem
almonds and coconut
subtle delights
awaiting creme or powdered sugar
to enhance them
here, on the beach, I stand
waiting for her to pass
hoping she'll acknowledge my presence
a tiny smile at the curve of her lips
C2023 Thomas Lee Rhymes - February 17, 2023
Self-Portrait 1-12-24
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels
Still life, not stillborn,
With a woman’s face
In dusky background hues,
Pure clarity clothed in white,
Gazing on gastronomic abundance.
Artist of the banquet
One step behind –
The woman’s place of her time -
Guardian of the sweet rewards
Served like bridal wine,
Topping the earthen vessel
Of embryonic fermentation.
In a cradle of fine delft
Consummated almonds,
Mellow figs
Ripe fruit
Conceived out of ravenous rapture
Confinement released in harvest’s fare
In signatures of arms crossed -
Daily bread – gifts of finest wheat –
Served with golden curls,
Crushed seeds of grain
Birthing beauty’s fullness.
Above this feast of still life
A woman smiles
Her signature waiting to be discovered –
Waiting for the invitation to emerge
From the shadow!
Edentulous but determined to bite almond,
grandpa’s ‘never give up’ spirit was evident,
grandma watched quietly, all bemused and jocund!
“anytime now there would be a bad accident!”
Those hard almonds also had a mind of their own,
they refused to be consumed by the veteran,
every time he applied his old gums to bite down,
they escaped his wet squishy gums and made a run!
Grandma watched this entertainment for a long while,
keen to know how resilient her man remained,
She rose from her chair, walked to his almond pile,
She eyed him with amused anger that was all feigned!
She swiftly took almonds away in to kitchen,
Added a glass of milk and beat them in grinder,
Offered him the drink with some honey to sweeten,
kissed his forehead to show her love was still tender!
After five decades of marriage she knew him well,
in younger days he would brave the bullet for her,
from the brief adventure of almonds one can tell,
how deep unfaltering love keeps them together!
1st placement
written 27/09/2020
completely your choice (17) any form any theme
sponsor Brian Strand
making a smoothie with dry apricots and raw almonds
I return do the dunes and finish the tunnel to china
with the help of hemp and chia
flax not invited for the lax of efficiency last week
but banana my friend brings his girlfriend the pear
and we jump in the hole
the ride a dream we reach the other side of the world
what in a nut makes it so attractive
to crush the velvet green under the shade of the tree
a stone in hand I go for it and produce the taste of milk
and run for the apricots on the next tree
the jujubes will wait as they are not ready
for the pilferage of a good child
sated I lay on the dunes and start digging the tunnel of my future
going nowhere but the abundance of china as I remove the tags
from the porcelain in my life
The Praised One is here
The one who we hold so dear
Giving handfuls of almonds
The people are excited
Crowds fighting to get a glimpse
Men, women, and children, receiving his gift
The handful of almonds
It is finally my turn
The Praised one gives me a smile
Then the handful of almonds
And while all the other boys and girls had a fresh, glowing treat
I lift my hands to see mine
Only to see them broken, rotten and hardened
My handful of almonds
I don’t know why I like almonds so much
Going nuts
Crunch crunch
I don’t know why the caged bird sings
Or why he can’t just hold it in
Walnut, peach pit, peanut, primal
Peppercorn prairies,
Pine nuts, poppy seeds, almonds galore
Taste them taste them
Crunch some more
I don’t know the thing about almonds so much
Maybe cuz they crunch like
Seashells beneath my feet
Maybe cuz the salt sticks like
Sweat and the ocean
From a day on the beach.
I don’t know why I like almonds so much
Crunch crunch
Enough is enough
Of this purple daydream
Pecans of thunder
Send me to sleep
Crunch much?