23 January 2012
Growth of Perfection – Sharon Du
Growth of Perfection by Sharon Du (13)
The first buds, awkward little calluses on
The stringy branch, whispering winter
Leaves rustle around them in quiet applause
Gradually, they swell and bulge, their shell
Breaking, straining around them
Until they reveal technicolour
Bright pink pigments, soft layers
Sleeping bag spilling, unfurling
Crystal dew studding pastel, pristine flower
Tender dark pink lashes fluttering
As thunder growls in the distance, the sky breaks
White, blinding as it cracks, reform
Shards of mirror rain down, pummelling
The blossom, torn and faltering, cuts dripping, and petals bruised
Lashes now withered, it no longer delights
In the fine silk veils, fragments of beauty
The orb changes, grows, develops again
The flesh becoming green, dark, and swollen, glowering
Enough pale sun and gentle rain from the spring morning
Enough golden-soaked glow from the warmth of summer afternoon
Enough chilly sunsets to the ambience of murmuring grass and falling leaves
First the flesh loosens, and the skin stretches and thins
Pendulous weight, heavy with juices, droops
Plump and miraculous, it sits like a newborn
Fuzzy, fragrant, warm from the sunshine
True beauty in the peach
Lovely, useful, miraculous, truthful, condensed sunshine
And, with a single taste of bliss
Becomes a memory