An apple is not a story.
Its ripeness holds the weight,
tipping juicy balances with time.
Forbidden. Unable to be eaten in one sitting.
Taste it line by line.
She nibbles crisp tart words that salivate
and satisfy her curiosity, vast and unquenchable.
Mystery rests in this pale delicate flesh.
An apple is more than a story.
A primly wrapped promise, a ruse. A guise.
It conceals secrets of the soil that sustains it
and seeds buried for doubting tongues,
coming to life for those not afraid of seeing.
Glutted with the ripe flesh,
wasps murmur in the grass,
earth-bound with drunkenness,
heedless of the roaring blade.
Waiting in the trees for resurrection,
chlorophyll-laden leaves transform rays of sun
into nectar-filled flowers that will become
crimson harbingers of joy, foretellers of truth.
She steps carefully over
the circle of bodies that surround her.
© Susan Scheid 2013
Susan Scheid is the author of After Enchantment, her first book of poetry. Her poetry has appeared most recently in Tidal Basin Review, Requiem, Rose Red Review, The Unrorean, Bark! and the chapbook, Poetic Art. Susan currently serves on the Board of Directors for Split This Rock. As Artist-in Residence at the Noyes School of Rhythm in Connecticut, Susan studies dance and teaches daily writing workshops for one week each summer. She lives in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, DC, where she has been a community organizer for thirty years. Susan helped open a community-owned grocery (Brookland Co-op Community Market) and also served on its board of directors. Susan has a B.A. in Anthropology from Catholic University.
