What do you do at night?
I think of Marie Antoinette,
I think of Gaëlle Catherine,
to Bernadette de Soubiroux,
But also to the Virgin Mary,
What do you do at night?
I think of Montreal,
I think of Manhattan,
I think of California,
But also to the Virgin Mary,
What do you do at night?
I wash my dishes,
I eat my cheese,
I think of the nectarines,
But also to the Virgin Mary,
What do you do at night?
Everything that is forbidden,
I think of Marie Antoinette,
I think of Gaëlle Catherine,
But also to the Virgin Mary.
I was despondent that I had to leave them.
Moving two thousand miles away, it was
unlikely that I would ever see them again.
They were trees, but it seemed somehow
They knew that we would be forever apart.
The lemon and orange trees stood strong
on opposite sides of the backyard. The
Santa Rosa plum and another plum tree
of a different variety graced that same yard
along with a Rose of Sharon in between.
Two tall palm trees rose high in the sunny
Sacramento sky. Two nectarine and two
peach trees lined the eastern border of the
property.
Eight fruit trees. Seven offering nothing but
sweetness, and a lemon tree producing the
best-tasting lemons. And we were leaving
'Bitter-sweet' behind, unable to explain.
If lemons could talk, they would have said,
"Take me with you"! If they could utter words,
the plums, the peaches, the nectarines, the palms,
and the Rose of Sharon would have pleaded with us
saying, "Please don't go?"
But we moved away, and our dear Fruit Friends
became the possessions of the new property owners.
.
"'this' comes with"
At the picnic pavillion
Leaning over the nectarines
hern whispered face mine
whilst gramz and momz
mingled
mine goose'z bump'd
yesss
mine visage flush'd
beet i'm certain
red
mine first
infected
')
For Terry Flood,* since you insist,
Here, in rhyme’s my shopping list:
Orange juice and Starbuck’s (iced,
Even though it’s overpriced),
Bagels, Swiss and muenster cheese,
Whitefish salad, frozen peas,
Broccoli and salad greens,
Carrots, berries, nectarines,
Melons, muffins, chocolate treats,
Licorice or gummy sweets,
Ice cream, cookies, corn chips, bread,
Hummus, pesto, peppers (red),
Eggs and butter, IPA’s,
Pasta meant for many days,
Chicken, mushrooms, sometimes meat –
Think that makes my list complete.
(For omissions, I’m to blame
Since rhyme, not shopping, was my aim!)
*a fellow poet on Poetry Soup
Six summer nectarines
Nestling snugly in a bowl,
Lovingly and caressingly
Selected and arranged there
As if by a lover's hand.
Cool, flawless skin,
Firm, sweet, succulent flesh,
Curiously sensuous cleft,
And lush fruity perfume
Awaken in me,
Suddenly,
Unpredictably,
A vaguely conscious semblance
Of forgotten longings
Unabated,
And remembered passions
Unfulfilled.
Tastiest nectarine in the world
If you have had not had one for forty years
Juice dribbles down your chin
Fruity delight fills your nostrils
You cry out in gladness
Others roll their eyes
Those who have had two nectarines a day
For a hundred years
And are tired to death of them
But for you
At this minute
Wonderful, joyful, happy nectarine
is making an impact, causing enthusiasm
To pour out of your taste buds
Filling your heart with a forever memory
Because you have not had one for forty years
Appreciation and love oozing out of your soul for this nectarine.
T-H-A-N-K-S A L-O-T : T-O A-L-L O-F Y-O-U
===========================
T- Thanks for reading, supporting me a lot -T
H- Honor you with the homage, grateful too -O
A- Attractive rank for your love, kind ultra -A
N- Nectarines though not in my writings soul -L
K- Keep trying I'm always to reach true goal -L
S- Sipping all poetic juice through motto -O
A- Aurora comes everyday with fair surf -F
L- Looking forward I merge in unity -Y
O- Opalescent where all my knowing woo -O
T- Truth is I'm nothing without thanks all thru -U
29.06.2020 Chattogram (Ten Syllabic per line)
I sit at my table in the sun
Absorbing all natures love
Salad in bowl green and clean
Olives, cucumber, tomatoes, and feta cheese
A nice amount of iceberg lettuce
With a mixture of radishes and rocket
The BBQ going for those who want it
Some wonderful scented garlic bread
That's just come out the oven so are nice and fresh.
I got another sitting too one side with the freshest fruit
Succulent to the eyes
Melon, nectarines and grapes
But then I spy
Strawberries and kiwi fruit
I love all of this kind of salad and fruit
And the smell of freshly baked bread
The smell reverberating in my head
Summertime days sipping orange juice in the sun
Laughing g with your family and and friends who have come
To savour the flavours of good food
And to see a wonderful garden in full bloom
Yes! I love these days.
29/06/2018
Summer dances in the hills
dressed in colors of the fields
golden braids sunlit skin
velvet gown aquamarine
veil of flowers lilac pink
saffron diamonds ruby ring
on her hair a crown of green
with cerulean sparkling beads
chartreuse shoes, coral lips
rose fragrant lily mix
skipping dancing with the wind
in her arms a basket fill
guavas lemons nectarines
watermelons cherries figs
poppy flowers golden wheat
chasing crickets bumble bees
till the leaves festive green
turn to golden fallen tears
then twirling waves goodbye
colors mist rise and vanish
with a wink return a smile.
Sixth Place Winner: Brian Strand-No 1291-3/3/24
Sixth Place Winner: Brian Strand Premiere No 1202-3/25/23.
First Place Winner: Brian Strand-All Yours-3/6/21
On a hike one day, I came upon a wild orchard,
ripe with lush fruit and I thought it was a mirage;
green apples, oranges, peaches and pears,
all grew in this fantastic place;
nectarines, plums, cherries and blueberries,
invited me to l i n g e r for awhile;
calmness settled all around . . .
Fertilized by nature and unrestrained,
ripe and d r i p p i n g with sweetness;
utopia was mine as I gathered,
it would be a shame not to taste the fruit;
till I was full I ate the sweetness,
strange, I fell asleep- awoke and it was gone.
_________________________
August 15, 2016
Acrostic
Submitted to the contest, Orchard Fantasy
sponsor, Julia Ward
First Line Prompt Contest
Sponsor: Julia Ward
Outside the city where the pomegranates grow,
where fruit bears life whispering to the breeze,
seedlings turn into roots and roots start to sow,
where caution flies between the pomegranate trees.
Outside the city where the nectarines grow,
where sweet lips pucker with such fine ease,
abundance that trickles sugar with winds that blow,
where laughter flies between the nectarine trees.
Outside the city where the mulberries grow,
where grandma makes pies and pleasing memories,
there’s nothing like grandpas face aglow,
where bickering flies between the mulberry trees.
Oh, may fruit bring essence to the lovers that flow,
where the warmth of love breaks through any freeze,
there’s nothing our affection will ever outgrow,
where devotion flies between two family trees.
Date Written: April 30, 2016
haven of flowers
gyrates through a bee’s travel
nectarines reward
the fertile dance of bloom’s life…
weaving sweet nature’s puzzle.
.............
Contest: Life Is A Puzzle
Sponsor: Nayda Ivette Negron
12/25/2015
( SUMMER )
Summer is warm and full of life
The birds are singing
The butterflies are dancing
The flowers are talking
The wind is gently blowing
The skies are blue
People are playing
The smell of honeysuckles
is in the air
Boats are floating
Fish are jumping
Kids are splashing
Bees are buzzing for nectarines
The days are longer
The nights are shorter
Summer it is full of life!
(c) Jasmine Paul 11-18-2014
Abundant apples
Bountiful berries
Cool Cucumbers
Dainty dandelions
Energetic egrets
Fragrant flowers
Gratifying greens
Harvested hay
Infinite iguanas
Jumping juniper
Kicking kernels
Lovely lavender
Marvelous maples
Never-ending Nectarines
Opulent opals
Patient penguins
Quaint quail
Rambunctious Ravens
Sanctimonious Swallows
Tenacious Turtles
Unique Unicorns
Voracious Vermin
Wacky Walruses
Xenobiotic Xylem
Yammering Yak
Zippy Zebra
I remember you
cartoon smile and egg-shaped head.
Do you remember
how the rainbow formed on the water,
how the neon lights flickered,
or the scent of nectarines on your forehead?
They were happy to see for the first time
behind glass window,
between speaker box voices --
unopened package,
untouched collector’s item,
you shiny new contraption,
star of the play,
hero of the hour,
flavor of the season.
Seed of your father,
soil of your mother.
Fruit of love,
fruit of conflict.
Decision’s aftermath,
delusion’s consequence,
Are you accident,
intention,
problem,
solution?
Bough in the river,
wrenched in the current.
Hand reaching for hand,
hand holding your own.
Bedlam baby with the guilty smile
do you remember
how you would not fracture the mullioned frame,
how you could not shatter porcelain,
or how you hid in changing alleys?
I will save you
you will save me.
My hand in yours.
I am the boat
you are the journey.
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