“Wanna bite?” the old woman asked,
holding out her cherry-red confection
polished and gleaming as a new Corvette
or a little girl’s patent leather shoes
on Sunday morning.
Should’ve tipped me to the truth, that glow alone.
Nothing from nature shines straight from the tree,
the earth, the ocean. Not before violence:
the pearl deslimed of its oyster’s flesh,
coal hewn from the depths and lit ablaze.
Even fruit does not reveal its juicy glisten
until split open by greedy teeth.
But I was tired and not attending as I should.
It’s long days, caring for grown men small enough
to resemble children—or call them children
grown destructive enough to resemble men. No matter.
Princess is only a title that escapes drudgery
when some other woman’s close to hand.
What I’m saying is:
Maybe I did notice, after all.
Maybe I did understand.
Maybe I ate it anyway.
~a.i.
◊
END-NOTE
Am feeling very appley this week, for whatever reason. Perhaps to escape the recent madness of oranges…
How are you all surviving??
[For more from the Myth & Fairy Tale Project.]
“split open by greedy teeth” — Gah, woman, I love your writing.
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I appreciate hearing that!
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Oh wonderful! I love this!
Its great to read your takes on these stories again.
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I’m so glad you enjoy them! They’re lots of fun to write.
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If you’re feeling apple-y this week, I’d love to see what you do with the William Tell legend. It’s not so popular here in the US, but I lived in Switzerland for several years in the 90s, and I can say it is still a Big Deal® there (especially in the German speaking cantons). It’s the Swiss’s founding myth, and those go pretty deep, whether they’re historically accurate or not. But the Tell legend is very much a story of *MEN*, and could probably use a feminist touch. I mean, if you knew any feminist writers with an interest in mythology….
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Ha!! Wait, lemme check my Rolodex…
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There ya go!
And yes, my morning OJ is tasting a bit off recently.
Perhaps some guava…https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Philippine-Legend-The-Legend-Of-Guava
I enjoy that idea of atonement 🙂
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“Orange” has much to atone for, that is true!!
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