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J. Zheng's avatar

水果 / The Fruit

When the fruit finally ripened, we were already strangers. Ours was a brief season of intimacy, it was nothing unfamiliar to me. Then something sweet began to swell, and you, the wiser gardener, chose to prune the branch. You believed this tree did not belong in the garden you were tending, and I, seeing the truth of the soil, agreed. We preserved our routines. We moved on. But sometimes, in the quiet between tasks, I feel a phantom weight in my palm. A question, sweet and unbruised, appears. I wonder, is this how Eve felt in the Garden of Eden?

10 poetry notebooks's avatar

Wow! Love the extended metaphor of the piece. I enjoy the part about the "phantom weight in my palm." Thanks for sharing this!

J. Zheng's avatar

Thank you kindly!

Teresa Renton's avatar

Beautiful! I love the ache in the lines such as ‘you…chose to prune the branch’, and the tree not belonging, and the phantom weight—all such gorgeous word choices too 😍

J. Zheng's avatar

Thank you! Heartbreak is always a good fuel for writing, hahaha.

Lyndsey Parsons's avatar

I loved this prompt. My heart needed a way to process the mix of things that always happen this time of year. Thank you!

10 poetry notebooks's avatar

You are welcome! Thanks for reading 10 poetry notebooks.