The Lemon, by Ramya Yandava

Still Life with Lemon and Cut Glass, by Maria Margaretha van Os (Netherlands) 1823-26

The Lemon

Rind was peeled, we cannot
      know by whom. Cut fruit of Asia, brought
to decorate the Dutch milieu, domestic zest,
      translucency at rest,

laying bare two tear-like
      seeds. Below, a bowl, curved not unlike
a whitish keel, of porcelain, is anchored dead
      upon the dullish red

tablecloth, and shelters
      vividly the halves. A plant incurs,
behind, the almost lightless green the walls emit,
      and stems and blackish blooms from it

reach toward cut glass that
      blurs reflected hues. Though no éclat
from regimented angles flares, the full effect
      invites a mute respect.

Nonetheless, it must be
      said, perched on the yellow path, we see
the fly ignore it, stalk the citron scent instead,
      and inches from its head,

crawls the butterfly to-
      ward the flower, displaying wings where two
blood-coloured spots invade a colourless design.
      A warm hand made the line.

Ramya Yandava

Ramya Yandava lives in Boston. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The Oxonian Review, The Society of Classical Poets, The Classical Outlook, and Merion West. She writes the newsletter Soul-Making at soulmaking.xyz. ​