frostbitten persimmons - Magdalena Harlow

today,

a beautiful boy

told me how he loves fruit.

he smiles,

as he describes to me how

he digs his pearl shovels

into its soft,

pinkened flesh,

he finds gold as

he feels it give in.

the fruit bleeds out onto his tongue,

he smiles.

its life p

o

u

r

s

from the sides of his mouth.

how he loves a pink lady,

nothing but a bearing to bite into

until there is nothing left to gnaw on

but her core.

i wonder…

if he can love a pink lady,

could he ever love a persimmon?

shredded skin

lodged between his teeth.

he smiles.

i watch from afar,

as he spits out her seed,

she becomes a seedling

for the next tree of knowledge.

i hear her heart germinate,

pulsing through the gritted soil,

th-thump, th-thump.

as i watch her photosynthesize,

her branches respirating with hope,

i wonder…

did Eve ever miss Eden?

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Magdalena Harlow is a midwestern poet who excels in the style of page poetry, who levitates towards poetic themes such as decay, yearning, and the complexities of gender. Along with poetry, Harlow enjoys oversized cardigans, gouache paint, and Japanese singer-songwriter, Mitski.