After the fun of our FruitShare Haiku Contest, we decided to try a new, re-vamped version, which will be called Ode to Fruit: A FruitShare Poem Contest. And while April – also known as National Poetry Month – is coming to a close, there are still plenty of reasons why writing an Ode to Fruit is a good idea. For starters, May has been designated as the month to promote awareness for many things; some of these include Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Family Wellness Month, Creative Beginnings Month, Gifts from the Garden Month, and National Strawberry Month. Plus, the prize for the winner is a free FruitShare t-shirt.
This time around, we’re changing up the rules a little. Instead of requiring a haiku, you are free to write any kind of poem, as long as it is 10 lines or under. Choose your favorite fruit or two from our Currently Shipping tab, and start writing. Submit your completed poem as a comment to this post, or send it to lisa@fruitshare.com to be posted. Even if you haven’t tried FruitShare’s fruit before, we still want you to submit a poem – and then visit our website and think about having a box of fresh organic fruit delivered right to you!
Our previous winner, Greg Seitz, has agreed to be our guest judge for this contest. His winning poem for the haiku contest was sweet, subtle and our unanimous winner. Check out Greg’s haiku here.
Need inspiration? Check out Diane Lockwood’s poem, “Organic Fruit,” which details her love of the avocado. Granted, this particular poem is longer than the ones we will be accepting, but it still is a nice way to get your creative gears grinding.
Betrayal in the Garden, by Jennifer
Some days I find preaching illustrations
buried in the soil,
worms wriggling away from me
burrowing back
to the darkness of my imagination.
Other days turn up only slugs
fatted with my sun-ripened strawberries.
They curl in on themselves when nudged
Curvatus in se
I pray: O slugs, drink heartily from this cup of beer.
Pink Lady blushing
in the roundest moment of afternoon,
smooth, I pocket you
waiting for the perfect moment
to taste your light,
full pink harvest moon.
Ode to the Kiwi
Long live the blade that strips away
the brown and fuzzy skin–
who knew the deep green
emerald wonder shining so within.
A seed perhaps? No, this you peel.
It radiates black stars.
Some say it’s sweet and others, tart
I say I’ll have a crate to start
of kiwi, kiwi, kiwi…
The savior of lime: By R.A. Sievers VI
The salt is bitter
The tequila will burn for now
Lime; take pain away
Strawberries, the simple reminder of love: By R.A.E. Sievers
The last one picked from the tree in the rear.
This berry represents that the seasons are near.
I want to just nibble but I eat the whole thing.
Strawberries represent the best parts of Spring.
My Pink Lady, by Jesse
My Pink Lady is the fairest of them all.
Not to big and perfectly small.
Her skin is so shiny and also so neat.
She tastes kind of sour but also so sweet.
Her nice round curves is what I like best.
She always puts my taste buds to the test.
Ode to the Avocado, by Nancy A.
O green alligator-skin pear
how pluckily I braved stinging nettles
to reach the lowest branch and pluck
and set you ringing in my hand
How you ripened in the dark
Of the kitchen drawer
To perfect tenderness
And set my mouth watering
With thoughts of your green flesh
Oh avocado, ahuacatl, belle of the balls
Strawberries, by Ayesha Z.
A little red hat
tiny white seeds –
savor it well, love, and
let the juice run down your chin –
eating strawberries:
the adventure is yours.