Saturday, August 13, 2011

INSIDE THE APPLE



The core is what I knew.
Not red exterior, brilliant
waves of music, entertainment
galore, wafting smells of chef's creations,
pulse and pulp sweet and white.

The core is what I knew.
Filth covered pathways leading
nowhere except back, darkened
tears shed by those unfit for life
fittest only for survival.

The core is what I knew.
Squigly worm escaping bitterness
inedible. Against fate my fight took
flight into light of unknown
multicolored cultures of delicious fruits.




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I grew up in the South Bronx - different from the New York tourists get to see. I have always felt that some very significant people and events helped me escape the socio/economic challenges inherent to the inner city. Still, it's my home town and I am grateful for it.

(Thank you Claudia at dverse poets for this great prompt.
I'm also submitting to Poet's United.)

25 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this side of the city. I was in NY city weeks ago as a tourist, and indeed was dazzled by all the lights.

    These lines are great:
    "fittest only for survival.

    The core is what I knew.
    Squigly worm escaping bitterness
    inedible."

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  2. The Core is What I Knew...powerful opening and stays with you long after the poem has been read. Starting each stanza with that potent statement makes for a delicious read! ;)

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  3. Lovely poem, Myrna--- love the metaphor and how you let it drive the poem. xj

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  4. Great exploration of the central metaphor. I'm in very small company I've been to NYC twice as a tourist and couldn't wait to leave. I wish the Strand bookstore was somewhere else though, that was heaven.

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  5. nice...love the allusion to the fuit and the squigly worm...the second stanza to me was the best as it rings true with the grit of the city...very nice...

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  6. The Big Apple, ever so serene but also with the inherent big city woes beautifully depicted.

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  7. Sometimes what we hear and read about a place is never quite the same until we actually experience it physically... What a great metaphor....

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  8. Hello Myrna.
    Powerful poem indeed.
    We as a society tend to close our eyes to the truth. No place is ever as glossy as it is made out to be.

    Very nice writing.

    Have a great week ahead, my friend!

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  9. The repetition really works. Powerful piece.

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  10. Back in the 60's when I was a student I spent a summer in the Bronx. You touched a few memories. I remember the heat/humidity, the sounds of sirens,kids opening fire hydrants and the smell of the zoo. Definitely a unique experience.

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  11. I sure did feel this one. Thank you so much.

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  12. I loved the repetition of, "The core is what I knew." It really drove the point and powered the poem. Excellent job.

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  13. so great to see you linked up myrna - and what a fine poem you brought to the table - thanks for sharing some of your memories...and NYC is def. a place i madly want to visit

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  14. just read it once more and...the core is what i knew...is simply an outstanding, gripping and hitting line...excellent

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  15. Myrna, I thought I commented on this last night, but guess not. As always, your writing, whether poetry or prose, is so beautiful. I'm running out of words to describe it! I think I'll just use one word from now on: Beautiful!

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  16. The metaphor of a decaying apple core is a very creative and powerful one. It articulates so many things- the evil, the dark, the unrequired and the decaying.
    The strength of your metaphor hits me hard.

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  17. Awesomely written. Thanks for your process notes, I went back and read it a second time and then really understood what you were saying. Powerfully written! I could see those darkened streets.

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  18. What a great place for an education. I enjoyed New York until my 18th birthday.. smiles...

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  19. Squigly worm escaping bitterness
    inedible. Against fate my fight took
    flight into light of unknown
    multicolored cultures of delicious fruits.

    When read aloud this section really rolls of the tongue with great rythmn and feel i really enjoyed you poem.

    Arron

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  20. I too very much like the metaphor you use and how you weave and reveal your experience throughout it. Very nice

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  21. I think I can fully understand what you mean in this beautiful poignant poem. We can never forget our roots, no matter where they lie. I too at times view the way I escaped some of my past as lucky coincidences, but then again, maybe it was also fate.;)
    xoxo

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  22. what an interesting take on NYC. good job. thanks for sharing :)

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  23. Odd, your core and your roots are the same. In this case, that is a good thing. Thanks for the view of the Big Apple.

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  24. That was purely brilliant, Myrna! I'm in awe of your writing ability. This is fabulous!

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