Fruit Family
by Joy Cai, Tintern Grammer
Years 5 – 6 Ekphrastic Poetry Finalist
‘The Dessert Harmony in Red’ by Henri Matisse (1908)
In the middle of the table
sat our little family.
The apple stood tall,
polished and red,
being quiet and serious.
With thoughts inside his head.
The banana laughed loudly,
wearing his yellow jacket,
bent like a prawn,
hiding at the edge.
The grapes stayed together,
shoulder to shoulder.
Whispering secrets
only they knew.
The orange hid inside his shell,
sweet and gleaming,
keeping his secrets well,
hidden from their sight.
The lemon always complained,
thumping the floor,
grumbling about everything.
Never happy anymore.
We were different,
but we belonged together.
Until a hand came.
One by one,
we disappeared.
And the bowl was empty.