I eat quince to keep me sober. Its bitter, astringent taste wakes me to a world where sweetness is not the aftertaste, where juiciness cannot be taken for granted. It is the fruit for grown-ups.
Yet when you roast it, what a transformation! It melts in honeyed dew on your tongue. Do I likewise melt and linger when the fires burn me up? Or do I blend with molten iron to form a steely backbone?
Prickly bittersweet
Memory of golden fruit
Flower in the frost
This poem, written for Haibun Monday at dVerse Poets Pub, is dedicated to my favourite fruit, the hard-to-find and even harder-to-describe quince, and is dedicated to the memory of my favourite musician, David Bowie, who was likewise unique and hard to describe.
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SMiLes.. a little sour pudding
floWer.. goes aLonG
way to
diStill
Instant
Gratification..
Bitter Flowers
taste live
Alive again..:)
It’s certainly not the kind of fruit you can pluck off the tree and eat directly…
wInks that’s the kinda poeTry i like best.. But i like it ALL as metaphor and literal too.. dArk and liGht as all types of human science and art..:)
I haven’t tried roasted quince, but you have made me want it.
Just like baked apples, only sweeter…
A lovely tribute, Marina. I’ve not tried roasted quince but have a friend who makes both a tasty quince jelly and spiced winter spread as she calls it.
Sounds delightful! My mouth is watering…
This is delightful.. yes I think quince is so very human… to melt and shy that bitterness is so delightful… wonderful.
To find the sweetness in the bitterness – what a gift!
I like the transformation of quince’s taste, and how it is enclosed in the poem at the end.
What an effective way to share the quince, Marina Sofia! You really depict it well, I think. And David Bowie’s loss is a very sad one; he will be sorely missed.
Reading this made me hungry. Seriously, this felt like a delightful epicurean journey. Thank you.
I must admit I haven’t tasted one Marina ~ I like the twist in the taste too, very unique like our talented soul David ~ I couldn’t even think of a fruit or a color to describe him as he is a standout among great musicians ~ Wishing you a lovely week Marina ~
The comparison of the quince to the human condition is spot on. There’s a quince tree in a neighbouring garden and I can’t wait for the fruit to do just that what you described. A delicious treat really! As to David Bowie, he leaves a gap, for sure.
A delightful and insightful repast of a haibun goodness…i’ve never tasted quince until now!
Thanks for your comment in my blog! Continue to ’embrace the flower.’ Smiles. Sometimes one needs to keep that ‘steely backbone,’ and though the fruit can be ‘bitter’ at times, if you keep your eyes on the flower much is possible!
I put quince in sushi once. It was tasty.
Not sure I’ve ever eaten quince fresh, but the description reminds me of a Persimmon that hasn’t ripen. Pucker! I love the haiku.
“I eat quince to keep me sober. Its bitter, astringent taste wakes me to a world where sweetness is not the aftertaste” I love this. It is like good conversation vs small talk. I like this viewpoint.
Kudos – acerbic and bitter-sweet. The sense of fulfillment and lost run through the poem. Well done!
I loved the poem, and the dedication. Very apt. Although quince grows in Greece and is easy,to find in season, I’ve never considered eating it raw! Besides roasted, and in a paste, we grate it thickly and make jam to spoon over yogurt.
Layers of truth….thoughtful!
Such a rare and unique fruit…amazing how it transforms through being cooked. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful writing and especially that you included a tribute to David Bowie.
You roasted it? How amazing! I used to like it stewed.
Plant a quince tree! Ours is incredibly productive – we drown in quinces for a few weeks in the autumn. I like to slice one into a pan of stewing apples – that aromatic scent pervades everything. And there’s nothing as good as quince jelly…