Motherhood inspires many poets, but no one writes about motherhood the way Mariah Boone does. Direct, amusing, and always authentic, her work invites the reader into her heart. Catch up with her by visiting her blog and reading her recent work (Hearts). And think of this poem the next time you’re shopping.
Melon Bellybutton
By Mariah Boone
Saturday morning
I choose tomatoes, squash, a lettuce of riotous green lace at the farmer’s market
Passing money across, I ask for a melon, also
The farmer at her stall juts her chin toward their tan textures
Some green-tinged at the edges, curled
Like brain coral
Choose the one you want
I do not know, I ask her which she thinks is best
She educates me seriously
You have to smell the umbilicus, pick the one that smells good to you
I lift one up and sniff
Its bellybutton
Sweet cantaloupe fills me
This one
A delicious summer feast! Thank you so much, Mariah!
This is so sweet and made me think of my mother and her love of cantaloupe. 🙂
Wonderful feast of a poem.
This is so delicious, I am now starving.