A Stroke of Lemon

A stroke of Lemon 

(On Ode to a  Lemon, Neruda)

In slicing a lemon

the pungency

steals into my nose,

stings my tastebuds

before I can suck the tang

from my juicy fingers.

But if my mouth waters

while savoring a poem

or soaking in a painting,

the author has infused it

with the essence of lemon.

If I perceive 

the iridescence of a lemon

in the tiles of a painting

feeling its coolness under my fingers,

then the artist has succeeded in her intent.

But if I am part of the peel

puckering at its sourness

yet enchanted by its ruvid yellowness,

then art has been reached:

the climax of beauty 

in its metaphor.

Photo:  Engin Akyurt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sliced-of-lemons-on-black-surface-1907644/

Text: Kristen Mastromarchi