I've been waiting to post this poem until I found the ideal photo of a watermelon. I have no photo, but I do feel the need to get this out there before watermelon season is past. (It is raining today and reminding me of the mortality of summer). Anyway - I love this poem, and Charles Simic.
Watermelons
by Charles Simic
Green Budhhas
On the fruit stand.
We eat the smile
And spit out the teeth.
I love the off-balanceness of this poem. It starts off all benevolent and green and Buddha-peaceful, and ends with spitting out teeth (which makes me think of a fight). All of this in four lines! And I don't even know what to make of eating the smile, except it is slightly sinister and unexpected. (and perfect).
Watermelons
by Charles Simic
Green Budhhas
On the fruit stand.
We eat the smile
And spit out the teeth.
I love the off-balanceness of this poem. It starts off all benevolent and green and Buddha-peaceful, and ends with spitting out teeth (which makes me think of a fight). All of this in four lines! And I don't even know what to make of eating the smile, except it is slightly sinister and unexpected. (and perfect).
I really like this poem as well. I think you must have sent it to me before, because I recognize it from somewhere. I also enjoyed the one on the web link you sent. Simic is someone I need to check out a bit further. So far 100% of what I've read of his (aka both things) appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteYeah - I think I sent it out in email (probably more than once) last summer. I love it! Somewhere else in this blog (I think) I've got another one of his poems (I think it's called To My Beloved and has baby draculas in it) that I adore beyond reason. I have just noticed while trying to find it that the blogger bar search function doesn't work with this template. Would you test it and see if it is just on my end? Type Simic into that search bar and see if anything (including the watermelon poem) comes up. Or maybe I just sent you the baby dracula poem in email, too. Either way, I am pretty sure the search doesn't work, which bums me out because now I will become obsessed with it's non-functionality. Before I noticed it, it was not a problem.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't work for me either, but more importantly, I must find the baby draculas poem again! I was thinking the other night as I couldn't fall asleep that I want to compile a list of my favorite Halloween reading. I know I have a bunch of poetry, prose and non-fiction floating around in my head from my Dracula research days in grad school. I know it's still two months away, but I am already excited about Halloween (probably via the new Halloween folklore book I just bought from Half.com) and spooky autumnal stories.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't work for me either, but more importantly, I must find the baby draculas poem again! I was thinking the other night as I couldn't fall asleep that I want to compile a list of my favorite Halloween reading. I know I have a bunch of poetry, prose and non-fiction floating around in my head from my Dracula research days in grad school. I know it's still two months away, but I am already excited about Halloween (probably via the new Halloween folklore book I just bought from Half.com) and spookyightly geekier than you thought and in denial!
ReplyDeleteThe simple geek us
I will find it and post it, since now I am pretty sure I just emailed it to you. I'll do it when it doesn't feel like I am chasing away the rest of the summer. I have to give Watermelons its time in the sun! (while the sun is still here!).
ReplyDeleteMy bare feet are cold and I am wearing a sweatshirt. this does not bode well for endless summer.