The poem at Tuesday Poem's hub this week is Ripe Fruit by Ruben Mowszowski. South African expatriate writer and artist Claire Beynon who now lives in NZ's South Island is this week's editor, explains her choice: To my mind, Ruben Mowszowski's writing renews our sense of wonder.
When I invited him to send me a few lines as a backdrop to Ripe Fruit - a piece that seems to me equal parts reflective essay and poem - he replied
'I wrote the piece in Warmwaterberg - the hot mineral springs near Barrydale in theKlein Karoo. The peacocks there roost at night on the branches of trees. I'm always cautious about writing too much about a poetic piece but I'll say something about the landscape. . . the way the land speaks here and the animistic ethos that allows a tree to be imbued with the spirit of a person. The waters are slightly radioactive so all sorts of physical benefits are claimed but it's also a place where the wounded can go to heal the soul. . . "
Once you've experienced the wonder of Ripe Fruit - check outthe other poems in the sidebar including work by last week's Flash Fiction runner-up Janis Freegard. There's a host of wonderful stuff there from NZ, Australia, the UK, the US and Italy - Lawrence on hummingbirds anyone?