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