TOMATOES (Poem)

Hey, y’all. The Day 17 prompt for National Poetry Writing Month is to write a poem that contains the name of a specific variety of edible plant – preferably one that grows in your area. In the poem, try to make a specific comparison between some aspect of the plant’s lifespan and your own – or the life of someone close to you. Also, include at least one repeating phrase.

Here’s my poem:

TOMATOES

By Farah Lawal Harris, © 2023

Growing up, there were only four

types of tomatoes:

the big round ones Mama used for stew,

the oblong oval ones for Italian food,

little cherry tomatoes,

and canned.

Grown up,

I tried my hand at growing food.

Surprisingly, packs of seeds

revealed different varieties.

Among others, I landed on

Super Sweet 100 tomatoes.

Uncertain, I sowed seeds,

babied them under grow lights.

I created life!

The seeds sprouted like ideas.

Stems reached toward the sun.

Flowers bloomed and turned into

marble-sized green spheres,

red when ripe and ready to eat.

The taste lived up to its name.

Super sweet

like the life I’ve created where

ideas sprout like seeds,

dreams reach toward the sun

and flowers bloom and turn into

blessings like fruit.

I reap what i sow.

My harvest is beautiful.