On pomegranates … & quiet pleasure

A // W // F

 

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Early evening.

I sit out on the back steps, letting the last of the Autumn light run down over my shoulders.  In the yard, under the canopy of the old oak, bronze leaves come loose from the branches.  Float and spin down slow.

A mixing bowl of cool water rests between my knees, and under the surface, wrist-deep, I break open the husk of a pomegranate and watch the bright red bleed out:

Ruby arils.

White pith.

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And I suppose there’s some quiet truth I could puzzle out here, if I wanted — something about brokenness and beauty.  The way the most precious part lies hidden beneath the skin, glittering in the dark, waiting for the peeling back of the layers.

But today, for now, I don’t want to pin the meaning down into words.

So instead I sit very still and soak in this last warm sun on my skin.

I sweep the white pith from the surface.

Throw it out.

Cup the arils like tiny rubies in my palm.

*

This moment, I tell myself:  This.

*

I lift my hand to my lips…

 

Eat.

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For today, this moment is enough. ❤

 

 

37 Comments

  1. I’ve only ever had a pomegranate twice in my life, once a couple of months ago and once as a child. I quite like the taste. I was a little confused the first time I ever tried one, however, because I was told to eat the bit I’d expected to throw away and throw away the bit I’d expected to eat.

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. Well, I’d mostly seen fruit like watermelons or small oranges, so I had the idea that the red bits of a pomegranate were the pips and should be thrown away.

        You’re right, though. Twice isn’t really enough. If I see them in the supermarket next time I’m there, I’ll buy another couple. 🙂

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          1. Wow, there are a lot of sophisticated ways to have them. I was just going to eat them with a spoon. Haha! I feel a bit of a caveman now. The yoghurt parfait sounds particularly nice. I might try that way, I think.

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  5. Where I used to work there was a guy struggling to complete a crossword, he had obviously gone wrong somewhere, so I had a look at it. One of the clues was ‘Shop that sells fruit and vegetables’. Instead of Greengrocers, he had out Pomegranate. (!) Another faux pas was where he had misread Pigs as Pips, so instead of seeds had put swine.
    He was a likeable guy-he questioned my vegetarianism when he saw that I was eating mushrooms. He thought they were off a pig 🙂

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    1. Aw, thank you lovely.

      I happen to really enjoy certain foods that demand a lot of effort for a small, glisteningly ephemeral reward.

      Both artichokes and pomegranates fall in that category for me. And they’re beautiful to boot!! Made for your gorgeous paintings. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

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