Ode to Mangoes
written by: Deepali Pradhan
When the blazing sun does burn
Scorching brown my native land
When gentle spring has had its turn
And unrelenting is the summer stand;
You burst forth with a scent sublime
Young and raw, with a zesty soul
Shyly peeking in a delicate green
Like a lover at noontime
Hiding behind the grassy knoll
When the beloved is yet unseen!
And dressing then in fiery chili red
You set the young hearts aflame
That rest beneath your ample shade
Playing love’s innocent game;
Tangy and tart, a memory sweet
Like the first kiss, you linger on
Even when lovers change!
Stored with spices in jars so neat
With tender tales of times bygone
Pickled secrets which grannies exchange!
And ripening your luscious golden glow
Brings many an admirer from afar
Most like a heartless hasty beau
Scoop and scar with cuts bizarre.
But the sweetest pleasures you give
Come to those lovers’ kind
Who look past the surface sheen
And the occasional blemish forgive
Knowing you are a rare find
Not the king but the reigning queen!
With gentle kneads, your resolves soften
And then the one savage bite
Sets free your juices golden
Ripping the cloak hugging tight.
And tasting nectar, control loses
Caring not for worldly couth
Nor the trickling, nor the stains
Relishes the deep recesses
That grace your buxom youth
Till no more gains for the pains!
And as is human won’t eternal
Partner to an arrogant tone
Throws away your heart supernal
In folly thinking it is a stone.
But with forbearance supreme
And contentment in prime
Granted to a chosen few
You rest till it is time
In the bigger grander scheme
To shower blossoms on lovers new!
- Ode to Mangoes - May 12, 2023
