#from blossoms

[metamorphesque]

— From Blossoms, Li-Young Lee

[text ID: There are days we live / as if death were nowhere / in the background; from joy / to joy to joy, from wing to wing, / from blossom to blossom to / impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.]

[a-ramblinrose]

From blossoms comes this brown paper bag of peaches we bought from the boy at the bend in the road where we turned toward    signs painted Peaches. From laden boughs, from hands, from sweet fellowship in the bins, comes nectar at the roadside, succulent peaches we devour, dusty skin and all, comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat. O, to take what we love inside, to carry within us an orchard, to eat not only the skin, but the shade, not only the sugar, but the days, to hold the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into    the round jubilance of peach. There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

― Li-Young Lee, 'From Blossoms'

[gustaving]

By Li-Young Lee

[selkiesparrow]

listen... oh heart

[stark-reading-mad]

The paper on my door says Psych Ward, curtsy of my brother

[poems-from-around-the-world]

From Blossoms - Li-Young Lee - USA

From blossoms comes

this brown paper bag of peaches

we bought from the boy

at the bend in the road where we turned toward   

signs painted Peaches.

From laden boughs, from hands,

from sweet fellowship in the bins,

comes nectar at the roadside, succulent

peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,

comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside,

to carry within us an orchard, to eat

not only the skin, but the shade,

not only the sugar, but the days, to hold

the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into   

the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live

as if death were nowhere

in the background; from joy

to joy to joy, from wing to wing,

from blossom to blossom to

impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

[landlocked-sea]

happy national poetry month!

From Blossoms, by Li-Young Lee (1957 - )

From blossoms comes this brown paper bag of peaches we bought from the boy at the bend in the road where we turned toward   signs painted Peaches. From laden boughs, from hands, from sweet fellowship in the bins, comes nectar at the roadside, succulent peaches we devour, dusty skin and all, comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat. O, to take what we love inside, to carry within us an orchard, to eat not only the skin, but the shade, not only the sugar, but the days, to hold the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into   the round jubilance of peach. There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

@april-is has posted a poem a day, every April, since 2005 - her picks for National Poetry Month are always wonderful and have introduced me to so many of my favorite poems over the years, including this one by Li-Young Lee. Though I’m not sure if she’s doing it this year, all her previous posts are still up and the archive is very well-worth trawling through if you ever need something beautiful to read. 

I’m going to try to post a poem every day this month, too. We’ll see how I do.