Pomegranates set to replace opium poppy crop in Afghanistan
The One Stop poetry.com form today is free – with a great article to introduce it, by Joy Ann Jones (aka hedgewitch). I heartily recommend a visit to the site…
I am still working on the collection of poems for Oversteps Poetry and this is the beginnings of one that is , I think, free verse.
Pomegranate
Consider the pomegranate –
the skin is the key
to its true nature
kevlar-tough, ochre –
the colour of spite
with the heft of a terrorist bomb.
Tan-patched, unlovely
in a market place
more used to poppy-scarlet
yet still it tempts
as in Eden’s garden, whispering
of better things to come.
Hack into armoured rind
piercingly, bitterly, bitingly bitter
to glimpse ruby seeds that
feign promise, fecund, innumerable,
deceitfully offer choices, simulate
confidence, hint at deliverance,
deliver only spittle sucking
dryness, nicotine stain.
Fruit of hell and heaven
embodiment of yellow –
ambivalent, perverse, an artful
fanfaronade for new futures
with a judas kiss
Sally J Blackmore's Blog 
Great example of Free Form. I enjoyed the imagery and description of your words.
“the colour of spite
with the heft of a terrorist bomb.”
“Fruit of hell and heaven
….with a judas kiss”
Awesome.
thank you – it has taken me ages to make any sense of this idea for a poem. Thanks for the feedback.
A great use of metaphor all through, very well done, and the language is superb. This is classic free verse, the flow that moves smoothly step by step with little structure, following the wind of the poet’s thoughts, using enjambment, line breaks, words and space in combination to add or subtract emphasis. Excellent writing, and very glad you chose to link up today.
Thank you Joy I wouldn’t miss Monday’s form exercise…but am so relieved not to be battling iambs !
A beautiful use of words and comparisons. Halfway through I had to laugh.
Thank you – that third stanza is certainly a bit of a mouthful, I agree. As mentioned above I have an ambivalent relationship with pomegranates as the stain on my fingers convinced my dad that I was smoking when I was a teenager…
ah you are singing my song, loving the vivid imagery and metaphor…had some pom juice this morning actually and now i will never drink it without thought…smiles.
I enjoyed this, your use of imagery & metaphor…very good free verse poem.. 🙂
even I would drink it if it could really take over as a main crop to replace the poppies!
They said that the pomegranite was the forbidden fruit in the garden of eden, King Henry the eighth took it as a placebo to boost his libido, lovely metaphor you draw here!
Good one Sally. And thanks for new word of the day – fanfaronade.
Thank you Maria – isn’t it a wonderful word…once I found it I just had to use it somewhere!
Imagery pops from the screen in this piece. My mouth is watering for that judas kiss.
thanks for reading and commenting