On summery Saturday mornings my mother
strolls through sunshine picking
the perfect plum with a
scrutinizing eye,
and long fingers that stroke
the blackened skin as if
the fruit were an ancient textile
broken out of a museum’s
glass display case.
I believe it is an art form
to be able to squish a small fruit,
so tender, so juice-heavy in
the sticky August heat,
and know how it will taste
tomorrow sliced over oatmeal
with a sprinkle of Stevia and
a cup of black coffee on the side.
Maggie Dickinson-Sherry is a third-year student at Penn State majoring in English and minoring in gender studies. She writes: “This semester I have the honor of serving as both Music Editor and Kalliope Liaison here at Klio. You can also find me over at Klio’s sister magazine, Kalliope, where I am the Arts Coordinator. I have loved poetry my entire life-some of my favorite poets include Robert Frost, e.e. cummings, and Sylvia Plath.”