Prompt #105 – Fabulous Fruit

It’s mid-June, almost summer, and that means fresh fruit not available in winter is now abundant in the markets. This week, let’s write about what’s cool and fresh, juicy, ripe, and sweet – let’s “pick” a fruit and write a poem about it.

You might use fruit as a metaphor or symbol, or you might write an extended description of whichever fruit you “pick.” You might even use a particular fruit as the “trigger” for a memory poem – create a fruit pie or a fruit salad of memories. Another option is to write an ode to a type of fruit, or write a list poem in which you catalog a particular fruit’s qualities and associations. Write a history of your favorite fruit (see Dorianne Laux’s poem “A Short History of the Apple” linked below). Begin with a general description of a fruit and then move the poem into more personal focus through a special association (see Diane Lockward’s “Blueberry” linked below). Turn a bunch of grapes into a heady wine of imagery and metaphor. Have fun with this or be serious! (My advice is to nibble on a piece of fruit while you’re writing.)

Examples:

"A Short History of the Apple" by Dorianne Laux

"This Is Just To Say" by William Carlos Williams

"Blueberry" by Diane Lockward

"The Pomegranate" by Eavan Boland

"Persimmons" by Li-Young Lee

"Oranges" by Gary Soto

"Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti

"After Apple-Picking" by Robert Frost

"Blueberry" by Robert Frost

"Forbidden Fruit" by Michael Lally

"Plums" by Catherine Savage Brosman