 |
| How to Eat an Artichoke |
How bodies of matter are attracted
to centers of celestial bodies
like air to hearts of earth and artichokes:
I put my dish atop the table in time
for tiny she to charge and hug my knees
and climb on lap to touch my nose with hers.
What did you bring me?
I brought artichokes,
so pulled one out for her (which stopped
her patting pockets for her absent presents).
She wiped her hands and grabbed its strange surface,
so I showed her each layer’s gift and how
to scrape soft bits from spiky leaves until
arriving at the choke, then carefully
removing it to reach the heart of gold—
Right here, I said,
is the hidden treasure.
And wait until you try
one with butter!
She closed her eyes to taste the last moment
and then, she laughed, breaking concentration.
Whooping, off she ran to greet others
and tell them of the arctic-joke her aunt
brought her. We
grinned, adults around the room.
Before we got our food and chokes we each,
I’m sure, recalled our first encounters with
arctic and other jokes—at least we tried.
We know our bodies’ gravity attracts
matter to feed our hungry hearts, but not
how we centered there once upon a time.
Copyright © 2015 S.L.Chast
What a fun story, Susan, showing in such a sweet way the joy of being around children. I love the idea of an arctic-joke! Really I never would have known what an artichoke was when I was a child, and in my life I have only just had ONE. But so very true about the heart of gold - perhaps of both the artichoke AND the aunt.
ReplyDeleteScrape.. scrape with strong lower teeth until one comes to the softer heart. It is an experience, both for the eaters but more so for the cook. Lively take with that tinge of humor Susan!
ReplyDeleteHank
Delightful – and, in the end, deep too. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the Arctic joke... And the way you have narrated the incident...
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful act of nurturing and passing on knowledge - kind of like a healthy, functional J & Alice! - i love the effortless flow and rhyme... gravity certainly knocks on the door but if we can still laugh - it's magic!
ReplyDeleteLove this - such a delightful read :D :D
ReplyDeleteYou took us into the heart of the arctic-joke, and the feelings of the scene. I can all all the grownups smiling over that sweet little girl's head. Very cool write.
ReplyDeleteI like the comparison between gravity and attraction between hearts.
ReplyDeleteThe way you brought the gravity in your closing is moving, Susan and the telling of this sweet story brings a smile to my face...thank you, so much for sharing this and inspiring with such a wonderful midweek motif!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delight - arctic chokes. The last stanza is such a sweet and wise close to this poem. Spencer is Kanzensakura
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful moment Susan! Really a fabulous write!
ReplyDelete"Arctic-joke" smiled at that. She sounds so adorable. I miss that kind of innocence. Beautiful story
ReplyDeleteFor all the fun there is sadness too a poignancy at the remembrance of childish ways long gone.
ReplyDeleteThis was fun to read and the arctic- joke made me laugh. I also like the image of the hidden treasure being the heart of gold.
ReplyDeleteSweet, the innocence of children. Love your play on words. Tha last stanza was no joke though, it is wise and clever.
ReplyDeleteTwo thumbs up
ReplyDeleteWhar a sweet story ~ it'll be hard to shake 'artic-jokes' from my mind now!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy good wordplay, so this was extra fun. And your last line left all kinds of thoughts in my mind...
ReplyDeleteI can picture this.
ReplyDeleteA lovely write, yes, children can remind us of our own small wonders.
ReplyDeleteyou made me smile with delightful humor and a heart-melting story
ReplyDeleteSweet poem !
ReplyDeleteSo sweet. And ah, those artichokes. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteArtichokes - the most delightful (and fun) to eat. I cant tell you how many people don't know how to eat them and throw the heart away (more for the scavenger)
ReplyDeletethis was a very sweet moment to read about. i enjoyed every line: arctic joke, hehe...that one's funny.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, with an unexpected weighty end, Susan. I especially liked the "arctic-joke" (many people call asparagus "sparrow-grass").
ReplyDeleteArtichokes are in season for us here in Melbourne at the moment and last week we bought about three kilos of baby artichokes, which have no chokes. They were all cleaned, blanched and frozen, good to eat for the next few months. Excellent sautéed in butter and then made into an omelette and served with grated mild cheese :-)