PeachFarmsandPromises - Paula Macena

Call the witness to the stand;

the jury wants to know

how you hold peaches like a heartbeat,

how it always tastes better

when it’s been plucked by your hands.

(Truth: you didn’t always know how to pick

the ripest of the bunch.)

Tell them how you grow your own peach trees

outside of Georgia’s borders,

how you could compare the sweetness to manna,

how you never get sick of its taste.

(Truth: it’s only ever godsent

when your lover plants the seeds.)

Can you spill your secrets the same way

the juice overflows in your cupped palms?

Can you share how you hold white wine

in the back of your throat like you’re saving up ammo?

(Truth: you weren’t made with a soldier’s heart,

and your father’s farmhand dreams

continue to elude you.)

They don’t know that the promised land

grows its fruits in your backyard,

that Eden was the blueprint

for the garden planted behind your fence.

(Truth: you used to sleep amongst its flowers.

It was the only place that ever felt like home.)

Swear on the Bible that your soil-tinged hands

will protect the harvest in your hometown

for as long as your peaches are sweet,

for as long as the wine spills from your mouth.

(Truth: you didn’t mean to find the fountain of youth,

but the prophecy had been foretold

and there was no way to disentangle your fate from these roots.)

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Paula Macena's strong interest in writing has been prominent ever since she announced to her family at seven years old that she was going to be a songwriter. Her passion for songwriting never faded, as today she continues to create and release her own music under the name "paulinha." She has garnered about 1500 consistent monthly listeners on Spotify. However, her true love lies in poetry. She's shared this love with the world through her self-published poetry book, "stuff i wrote after cutting my hair," at only fourteen years old. Today, she publishes poetry on her personal Instagram, "@plutopaula," growing to over 5000 highly active followers who look forward to reading and sharing her work. Her audience continues to grow quickly, and she hopes to continue to share her work to wider audiences moving forward.