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One of the pleasures of summer is fruit in abundance. My fridge is full of strawberries, blueberries, apples, watermelon, and more. Fruit is how I satisfy my sweet tooth.
I had surgery three weeks ago. My friend and fellow Inkling Molly Hogan sent me some strawberry jam with strawberries she picked herself on a farm in Maine. I have been so touched by how wide my circle of friends reaches.
I subscribe to a lot of poetry emails. The Poetry Foundation featured an ode by infamous Pablo Neruda praising tuna, Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market. I noted “write an ode about food.” Then I received News from the Fishbowl newsletter and Poets & Writers The Time is Now. Both of these prompts came from Neruda’s tuna poem. The universe was telling me to write an ode.
Looking at this poem again, I want to adjust that last line. Maybe delete it altogether. My thought was to have color in my face, but it could be associated with blood (yuck!). My grandson Leo loves to talk about bleeding. He wanted to see my belly button scar. Maybe he will grow up to be a surgeon.
But I digress. Friends, please put your links in the Inlinz below. Thanks.
Reflections on the Teche 
[…] Margaret has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at Reflections on the Teche. […]
Here’s to the healing powers of homemade jam!
Thanks for hosting us today. I’m sharing the two Fibonacci poems I wrote for the Ethical ELA Open Write this week.
Yum, to your poem and the jam and all that yummy sweetness coming from the fruit–that’s how I satisfy my sweet tooth too!
Thanks for hosting Margaret—and I’m sending more healing thoughts your way.
[…] for lots of wonderful poetry, don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup with a teacher and poet I admire so much, Margaret […]
This is wonderful, Margaret. Such love from Molly, and then to transform it into this gorgeous poem–an appreciation of jam, but really of those you love. I like the last line. Sending you more healing thoughts, and thank you for hosting!
Hope you are getting better day by day, absorbing strength from those berries. This was a beautiful tribute to Molly and her kindness.
What a scrumptious ode, Margaret. Makes me hunger for the homemade jam my mom used to make. I especially love:
A simple gift
from Mother Earth
and Molly.
I took the “red” in the last line as a sign of vibrancy and health, so I’d want to keep it.
Thanks for hosting this week. I just posted a link on behalf of my co-blogger, April Halprin Wayland.
Yum! I’ve sampled Molly’s strawberry jam–it’s pretty good. You are lucky. I hope you’re on the mend and feeling better. You must be if you’re up to writing such a great ode.
Yum! I’m a fan of homemade anything as a gift…it always contains love…and that’s what heals. Keep the red. It suits you.
Margaret, I love the red at the end…it can mean so many different things! Wishing you healing and lots of strawberry days ahead. xo
“When the taste of strawberry jam is everything, the only thing”, the love from someone, this time, Molly. You’ve made me remember a dear aunt who brought food gifts to my husband and I when we were first married, like her strawberry jam. It was special & then for you to write back to Molly, too, Margaret. I hope the healing is going well. Thanks for hosting.
Margaret, what a sweet ode and such a colorful and beautiful graphic. Red is my favorite color, so I can appreciate that last line. I laughed when I read about Leo’s fascination with blood. Thanks for hosting today.
I hope you are on the mend soon. And I think homemade strawberry jam can definitely soothe the soul!
A gift of jam. A gift of poetry. What a beautiful sharing. I so hope that you are feeling better and better each day and thank you for hosting during your recovery. Lots of love from here. xo, a.
Margaret, I think your last line is a keeper. It allows the reader to wonder and reflect. I am glad that your healing days are allowing you time to pause, reflect, and write. Thank you for adding Molly’s gift and your poem for me to imagine the delight of receiving yummy, homemade, strawberry jam. As always, I keep your healing process in my thoughts and prayers. This weekend I have some healing to do also. I contacted a virus/croupy cough from my two little grands and now I won’t be able to go out to dinner with them. This weekend is about recovery.
How beautiful Molly’s jam is! No wonder you wanted to write an ode to it. I hope you are healing well, Margaret. I didn’t realize you were having the “Summer of Surgery.” Thank you for hosting! ❤️
“Touched by how wide my circle of friends reaches”- so heartwarming. It is a blessing to have friends when you are recovering from surgery, feeling tired and wondering how long the recovery is going to take- it can seem like it’s so slow. The poem is lovely… and the musings are little gifts, too- like the humor and hope in Leo’s story and all the color and sweetness in your fridge.
Best wishes for full recovery.
Summer blooms hot indeed! Thanks so much for hosting and I wish you well on your recovery.
Ah, very nice, Margaret. I was just saying to my son yesterday that I somehow missed the local strawberries this year. I’ll try not to make the mistake with blueberries. I hope you recover quickly!
I’ve had to re-define “quickly” but it is progressing. Thanks.
[…] hope I’ve piqued your interest in this project. Today is Poetry Friday! Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche is our round-up host and she’ll have your mouth watering with a poem she wrote about a […]
Margaret, Thanks for hosting and I hope your recovery goes well. I am in awe about how you wove so many pieces of this poem together – your friendship with Molly, descriptions of the jam, being alone and recovering as well as strengthening your body. A gift of self is the best gift of all…and that is what Molly gave you! Take Care.
Love your ode to Molly’s jam. Enjoy that sweetness and recover well!
“When summer blooms hot,” “shining in the sun slick and seedy”–strawberry jam is not my favorite, but you sure make it sound like the best medicine! Thanks for hosting, Margaret.
Yes, the universe calls. I made myself an almond cake, slathered it with strawberry preserves (not handpicked, alas!), opened up your PF post, and am now right there with you – sticky drips on my fingers and chin. 🙂
A gift of jam and love – perfect for healing. And ode praising the jam written with love -perfect thank you. I love your poem, strawberries, and strawberry jam. Since I spent some hot June mornings picking strawberries myself, these lines and the rest of the stanza especially resonate with me,
Made by her hands / she picked row by row / red ripeness / like red rubies /shining in the sun / slick and seedy.” I think you should keep your last line because it fits with the other two lines above it, goes back to the red rubies, and because your intention, I think, of referring the red in your cheeks to your recovering health is clear. I do get a kick out of Leo wanted to see your belly button scar and talking about bleeding. LOL! 🙂 He is precious. I am sending prayers your way and I hope it isn’t too hot for you to bask in nature to aid you in recovery. Thank you for sharing.
Strawberry jam is much deserving of an ode and yours is lovely! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and that it’s been a sweet spot in your recovery. I thought of you while I picked berries, knowing I would send you some jam. Perhaps those thoughts came through and added to the sweetness…Sorry I missed the Round up this week!