I curse strawberries when the clouds are in sight;
more so, for giving me
a taste of something wild and sweet,
they remind me of bourbon, of bullets
and Bukowski,
they remind me that softer sighs are only the
beginning.
How to eat a strawberry? First, inhale deeply—
feel the intricate weave of emotions
held taut by reserve,
as though a poem stripped down raw,
next, take a bite and delve with incisors,
if we must fall, then let it be
with a softness born of hushed rain and twilight,
I am caught in its merciless unraveling.
Eat it with sugar or spice or cream
but bear in mind, that once it treads through
the cavern black there’s no escape—
its promise of a perfect summer is decades old,
repeated over and over again
while one is beguiled by flavour and reduced
to monosyllable, tell me,
what am I to do with this longing for more?
I have gone a little far this time,
stepped forward to study his chiseled features,
his eyes upturned, dark and lovely,
covering my own in a roseate glaze,
the things I write after midnight are not just poetry;
they are confessions
embodying the freedom of wind
and silence of deserts— both sumptuous and curious,
both heat and cold that slips into the heart,
who knew that a missing part of me was in actuality
a part of you?
Who knew that fruit would flow rhythmically in my veins?
I curse strawberries when the clouds are in sight.
Photo credits: Pinterest
Misky is our guest host at dVerse, where she invites us to write food poetry.
Come join us! 💝
Posted for Poetics: Bon Appetit ~ Food Poetry @dVerse Poets Pub
Reposted for Last OLN and dVerse LIVE for 2024 @dVerse Poets Pub
45 Responses
This is a treat to read – inhaling deeply the strawberry. I eat mine plain or mixed with other fruits.
The things we write after midnight – confessions from the heart.
Thank you so much, Grace 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
What a return…luscious, luscious x2, witty, secretive, so clever, confessional but not really….a delight to read…
Thank you so much, Ain 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
I resonate a lot with this, the strawberry becoming the temptation, the subject where you cannot silence cravings simply by indulging.
I love the wild strawberries that you actually eat from a straw the best… 🙂
I love the raw ones too! Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Great to revisit this poem… the first line really pulled me in on this reading.
This is a lovely, juicy delight. Sweet temptation and a cloud of cream. Quite delicious.
Thank you so much, Misky 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
(and thank you for the glorious prompt) 🌹
Strawberries with black pepper and cream – very different and wonderful.
Thank you so much, Petru 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Nice one Sanaa my granddaughter she is nine now loves strawberries from since she could hold one in her little hands
much💛love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Much love back..
“confessions
embodying the freedom of wind.”
Thank you so much, Tzvi 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Delicious sensuous piece – I particularly liked the last stanza – alternating between passion and chill rejection – what we write after midnight indeed.
Thank you so much, Peter 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Wonderful, Sanaa. You have turned eating strawberries into a very sensuous experience, calling for more!
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Love this, Sanaa! Lush, luscious and lovely and the last stanza is stellar! ❤️❤️
Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Wonderful poem Sanaa, especially the unexpected turns…..
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Wow! I’ll never look at a strawberry in the same way again!
Thank you so much, Denise 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
they remind me of bourbon, of bullets
and Bukowski,
This is a great line …..and I like the way the poem turns at the end…JIM
Thank you so much, Jim 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Bravi. This is the best
Much❤️💚love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
I will never taste a strawberry in the same way again!
These lines, whew!
“he things I write after midnight are not just poetry;
they are confessions
embodying the freedom of wind
and silence of deserts— both sumptuous and curious,
both heat and cold that slips into the heart,”
Thank you so much, Lillian 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Bring on the Strawberries ~~~ bushels of them! I want to feel what you are feeling and described so lusciously.
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Helen 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
“they remind me of bourbon, of bullets
and Bukowski,”
love this, Sanaa. it says so much in its promise
Thank you so much, Lisa 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Breathtaking first stanza, and last, and superb construction…you show whoever is lucky enough to read what strawberries and poetry really are.
Thank you so much, Ain 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Very eloquently written, Sanaa. I love how you tie the taste and desire for strawberries into that desire and taste of love that once taken leaves nothing but the desire for more or dreams of summer!
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Where was I when you first posted this poem, Sanaa? It’s delectable! I especially love the lines:
‘feel the intricate weave of emotions
held taut by reserve,
as though a poem stripped down raw’
and
‘the things I write after midnight are not just poetry;
they are confessions
embodying the freedom of wind
and silence of deserts— both sumptuous and curious,
both heat and cold that slips into the heart’.
Awwww gosh! Thank you so much, Kim 😍 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Nice to see you today Sanaa — and happy holidays my friend. Sorry if I was awkward, I was really happy to be with the group. 🙂 ✌🏼🫶🏼
Happy Holidays, Rob! It was wonderful to see you too 💄❤️
As everyone said at OLN live, strawberries will never be the same!😃
Sanaa, I really enjoyed listening to you. This is a gorgeous write. 💖
Happy holidays.
Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️