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           photo by Abby Lanes


Happy Poetry Friday!

Please help yourself to some fresh lemonade and make yourself comfortable. Summer's in full swing now, so we don't have to rush. It's the season to lounge, languish, and love your lemons!


photo by distopiandreamgirl.

It's an odd thing, really. Lemons are acidic and very sour -- yet their emotional connotations are almost always joyful and sweet.

Mere mention of lemons, and my mind goes to a happy place, rejuvenating and clean.
photo by"M" Pearl.

I think of childhood lemonade stands,

photo by fleamarketstudio.

sunny slices splashing in cool, refreshing drinks,


saucy little wedges that say, "Squeeze me," so they can squirt me in the eye.


Lemon juice adds just the right tang to salad dressings and marinades, and makes just about everything taste and look good:
 
  Chicken piccata by leia511.

There's nothing I love more than the scent of lemons, especially nice when zesting a juicy yellow beauty. Added to a few other ingredients, like butter, sugar and eggs, lemons magically transform themselves into some of my absolute favorite desserts, like lemon bars,

photo by Glorious Treats.

lemon meringue pie,

photo by Daniel Greene.

and a sentimental favorite, lemon curd tarts!

photo by chris5aw.

While living in Wimbledon, I always stopped at Sainsbury's on the way home from school to get a few things for tea and supper. I usually bought bourbon cream biscuits or jam tarts. But one day, I decided to throw caution to the wind and give those lemon curd tarts (which had been coyly beckoning to me for a few weeks) a try.

Well, my eyes rolled back in my head with that first bite -- tangy sweetness cradled in a buttery crust. GIVE ME! Ever since then, lemon curd has become synonymous with England, a decadent treat I allow myself for special occasions only -- like summer, fall, winter, and spring. ☺

       
             photo by Fatty Tuna.      

But let's get to today's poem. Jennifer Perrine of Des Moines, Iowa, recently won the "Taste Test" poetry contest sponsored by the Virginia Arts of the Book Center.  Here is lemon at its metaphorical finest: Perrine's words bite and sting; her artistry is achingly sweet. This gem will make you pucker and salivate with a taste you won't soon forget.  

IF LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE


photo byhallie jo.

your mouth into a trough, a spout
from which that sour sauce will pour,
pulp and spittle swimming down your
chin, eyes pinched shut, each acid thought

welling under the tongue. Thin slice
of pain wedged on the salty rim
of your face, let its tart grace skim
your glass neat: no sugar, no ice

to temper this bite, this slick burst
that cankers your lips. Life gives you
lemons: cut your teeth on their rinds, 

tear them with gusto, slake your thirst
with their slavering, jaundiced juice,
swallow hard, leave no seeds behind. 

Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by Kelly Herold at her new blog, Crossover. Stroll on over, and offer her a cool drink before you check out all the great poems. I bet she takes her iced tea with lemon.

Oh, before you go, a little lemon sorbet to cleanse your palate.♥

photo by Lynnylu.

♥ In case this post has inspired you to bake this weekend, here's my fave recipe for lemon bars. Enjoy!