Fruity Voice

FRUITY VOICE Her voice reminds me of laughter barely suppressed An energetic spirit tugging constantly at the rope A caterpillar turning to butterfly at any moment Her voice sounds like lifegiving fruit Not serious, self-important fruit like geometrically precise pineapples Or pompous, overfed watermelons Too heavy to lift Not business fruit like apples, on duty keeping doctors away Or bananas waiting to do their slippery work under feet Or blackberries, whose careers lie in jam But mischievous fruit like grapes or cherries Which roll away like playful children when you’re not looking Or fallen raisins on the carpet pretending to be part of the pattern Fun-loving fruit like mandarin oranges around the Christmas tree Basking under the Christmas lights, enjoying the glitter Of tinsel and the smell of pine needles Small fruits which enjoy life, Laughing as they jostle each other in their bag, And which could easily become bubbly wine if tempted. Her ripened voice - The spontaneous fruit of a lifetime Of growth and maturing, and regeneration : Aliment for my soul’s ailment.