Charles Simic's The Melon

I have been reading the July/August issue of Poetry and I keep coming back to one of Charles Simic's poem - The Melon. Here it is.

The Melon

There was a melon fresh from the garden
So ripe the knife slurped
As it cut it into six slices.
The children were going back to school.
Their mother, passing our paper plates,
Would not like to see the leaves fall.

I remember a hornet, too, that flew in
Through the open window
Mad to taste the sweet fruit
While we ducked and screamed,
Covered our heads and faces,
And sat laughing after it was gone.

I love the last line in that first stanza - it is such a great turn when we realize that the mother will not live. But this moment, one of fear and happiness, is remembered. I also like the description of the cutting of the melon. Slurped is such a wonderful word.

Enjoy

Class Over and Recent Acquisitions

My masters class - Fiction Fundamentals is over! That is a so good. 1. I was quickly getting tired of the work load - tons of reading. 2. I was really sad that I was forced to spend less time on poetry and more time on fiction. What I got out of it? Well two chapters of a book - not decided whether I will continue on it or not. Maybe one day I will upload a chapter somewhere and provide a link.

Recently acquired March's Poetry Magazine and April's Wizard Magazine. I have begun reading Poetry - haven't even flipped through Wizard. I am sure I will have more comments on Poetry Magazine later - but I read this poem today and I loved it. Thought I would share.

Here I am Lord
by Michael Chitwood

The ribbed black of the umbrella
is an argument for the existence of God,

that little shelter
we carry with us

and may forget
beside a chair

in a committee meeting
we did not especially want to attend.

What a beautiful word, umbrella.
A shade to be opened.

Like a bat's wing, scalloped.
It shivers.

A drum head
beaten by the silver sticks

of rain
and I do not have mine

and so the rain showers me.

Uggghhh - why can I write like this. I read it before going to class tonight and was just smitten. It is so simple, but so poignant and beautiful at the same time.

I also saw Seth Abramson featured in this months Poetry. He has a rip roaring blog going on HERE

On a totally different note - Poetry Boot Camp starts tomorrow. I will give a report as to how the kids react.

And the Renga is continuing. Slower than previously. But still being handed off to other authors. Maybe another week and it will be posted here.

Last night I finished reading my copy of the February 2009 issue of Poetry. This was an in the middle issue - not bad, but not terribly wonderful - for me. I did enjoy some of the poems in issue. Even a poem from Kim Addonizio (I am seeing her everywhere these days). I did not get the manifesto section. I tried to read them, and understand why we were doing this - but I guess it was not for me to know. I never read the comment or letter sections - most often I find that the people who comment, or send letters in are talking about poems that I don't know and thus can't connect to their comments. There was also a section of strange artwork - also probably not for me to understand.