Birthday Grapefruit
25th Day of National Poetry Month, and my 25th draft poem of the month. As those following this blog know, I am writing a draft poem every day this month, and I sincerely hope that some of you are inspired to also try some drafts.
The following poem has a rhyme scheme I just made up; I suppose it could be considered a modified (and much less musical) terza rima. The stanzas are three lines, with the first two lines of each stanza rhyming as a couplet, and the third line rhyming with the third line of the next stanza: AAB, CCB, DDE, FFE, GGH, IIH. (It makes more sense if you look at the poem, although, because many of the rhymes are slant rhymes, it may not make that much more sense!)
Thin Birthday
On one birthday when she was very thin,
he brought out, after much whispering,
a half-grapefruit set upon a platter.
It was their birthday cake platter–wooden,
painted with blue ribbon swirl, holes put in
careful spaces along its perimeter.
The lone half grapefruit balanced in the place
for cake; a pink candle centering its face
like a faded, twisted cherry, stretched out tall.
He looked at her with such worry, not
(she thought) for her condition, but to please. What
to give a child stuck in rigid refusal?
She’d disdain cake, she’d groan (he knew), oh Dad.
So, for her to weep, to get so very sad,
was quite unfair. I wanted to give you
something you would take, he said, as they sat
out in the car and he awkwardly pat
her arm, reaching for something flesh and true.
(This poem was posted some time ago, but I’m linking it today, May 31, 2012 (the day before my birthday in fact) to Imperfect Prose, hosted by Emily Wierenga, who’s publishing a book on anorexia.
Since this original post, the poem has also been published in my book of poetry, “Going on Somewhere,” by Karin Gustafson, available on Amazon. Check it out!!!!
(As always, all rights reserved.)
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