Poetry

Anatomy of a Fig

Volume 29: Autumn 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fruit with the longest history on earth, the fig

Is also believed to be the first farmed fruit.

 

In Eden, the fig leaf failed its mission – the fruit hung

Immodestly from the tree, tender as a testicle. Its skin

 

Shade goes from yellow and brown to resplendent purple.

In the market, the figs sit on their ample rumps

 

Neatly arrayed in a basket. Pick one by its nubby stem

And gently sink your teeth into its glistening wet, lush red

 

Yellow-dotted interior. No seed or nut to bar your way –

Just a mouthful of oozing, melting flesh to sweeten your life.

 

Even so, like most other fruit, the fig survives in an altered state

In a new incarnation. Drying in the sun, the fig

 

Folds into itself, curling its stem down

To its flat belly, hoarding its honey for a second act.

 

To read the rest of Issue 29, and more from Saleem Peeradina, visit our eShop to take out a subscription or buy a print or digital copy.


 

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