Feast of Words: Dessert!
The Feast of Words continues. Today we move into dessert, and the fullness of reflection. Like a good meal, gratitude fills and slows to show us all we have, hold, love.
Today's poem is from Allyson Whipple.
"I wrote this poem," she explains, "after a friend brought me some mangoes and taught me how to remove the pits in a way that would not damage them, so that they could be planted. I spent much of 2012 dealing with the loss of a good friend, and the simple act of paring a mango and then preparing the seed for planting was a sort of lightbulb moment, realizing the way good things endured. From the destruction of a piece of fruit came nourishment for myself, as well as the potential for a new mango tree. . . the poem comes from a grateful spirit — grateful for a friend, for fruit, for the reminder of what endures."
You bring me mangoes
and you bring me mango pits
you never make promises,
but in your smooth hands,
there is potential for sustenance,
nourishment,
for roots –
there is a reminder
that life goes on after
skin is cut
flesh is eaten,
that a future exists;
that something beautiful
endures after loss
— Allyson Whipple
Our annual Feast of Words celebrates the power of gratitude through words. Thank you — friends, family, readers & writers, for offering your heart, your words. Thank you for taking the time to savor and share.
With gratitude,
Drew
Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 7:37AM
Reader Comments (8)
Delicious on several levels.
That poem from Allyson Whipple made me think of this poem by Li-Young Lee.
FROM BLOSSOMS
From blossoms comes
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches.
From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.
O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.
There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.
- Li-Young Lee
" . . . from joy to joy to joy . . . "
Lovely, Nancy, and a perfect fit for this end-of-feast. Thank you.
Shawnte -
I agree!
Thanks for stopping by.
So glad to be a part of your feast!
I love what you're doing. Great photos. Wonderful poem by Ms. Whipple. "After loss…" such a profound phrase.I give thanks for you, Drew.
xo
Thank you Ann --- and backatcha! xo
I enjoyed this poem from Allyson (saw it on her blog, and then over here).