The Plum Tree

The Plum Tree

written by: Prabhanjan K. Mishra

I wonder…
if this fruity fragrance in air
wafts from my skin,
its tangy-sweetness tingling,
misting senses,
I wonder….

Not yet a woman, no more a kid,
gingerly stepping over pubescence,
admiring canoes ready
to negotiate my contours, bends;
chart ridges, and fathom pits;
hug gaunt ravines, purring streams.

Eyes roll up if a leaf is shed,
flowering sends thousand messages.
Autumn breeze seems a typhoon,
sweeps me off my feet,
blow away my fig leaf; I howl
at its heartlessness.

But the paradox unveils –
London Bridge is not falling down,
rather parting in the middle
for canoes to pass;
air throbs in anticipation,
adieu to nursery rhymes.

Hesitant plums hiding in foliage,
chewed green, chewed purple;
eyes half-shut, curious, unsure;
the season trickling down the lips,
‘be or not to be’ the plums hesitate
before the ready knife.

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Prabhanjan K. Mishra

Prabhanjan K. Mishra, poet/writer, lives in Mumbai, India. Publishers - Rupa & Co. and Allied Publishers Pvt Ltd have published his three books of poems - VIGIL, LIPS OF A CANYON, and LITMUS. His poems have been widely anthologized by publishers – Rupa & Co, Virgo Publication, Penguin Books, Adhayan Publishers, Authorspress, Poetrywala, Prakriti Foundation, Hidden Book Press, Penguin Ananda etc. Awards won - Vineet Gupta Memorial Poetry Award, JIWE Poetry Prize. Former president of Poetry Circle (Mumbai), he edited this association’s poetry journal POIESIS. He edited a book of short stories by the iconic Odia writer in English translation – FROM THE MASTER’s LOOM, VINTAGE STORIES OF FAKIRMOHAN SENAPATI. He is widely published in literary magazines; lately in Literary Vibes and Ourpoetry Archive (both web journals), and the latest issue of Kavya Bharati.

Latest posts by Prabhanjan K. Mishra (see all)

• Amrapali’s Siddhartha - July 10, 2021
• The Question - February 20, 2021
• The Plum Tree - March 8, 2020