Cut Fruit
by Fiona Han, Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC)
Years 7 – 8 Written Poetry Finalist
My mum rarely says, ‘I love you’,
not like the picture books read by
my kindergarten teachers,
where they say, ‘I love you to the moon and back’,
or the Disney movies I watched.
I used to think love was supposed to be loud,
like the declarations of lovers under the rain,
or how others talked about love being hugs and kisses.
Instead Mum stands in the kitchen,
knife tapping on the board,
creating a language of her own…
before school,
after school,
while I’m studying,
or watching TV.
Apples peeled and spiraled,
oranges cut into crescent moons,
pears sliced so I don’t have to bite around the hard bits,
a plate always appears next to me,
quiet,
like it was meant to be there,
no big speech,
no ‘how are you doing?’,
just fruit,
fresh and sweet,
small enough to fit my child mouth,
big enough to show she cares.
When I leave some behind,
she frowns,
not angry,
but worried.
Maybe love looks like this –
mango cheeks carved from the seed,
watermelon sliced from the rind,
or halved grapes,
all waiting on a porcelain plate,
a hundred cut fruits
sitting there saying everything my mum never has to.
Listen to Fiona recite her poem:
How did writing this poem make you feel?
Writing my poem made me realise that poetry can turn the smallest moments into something unforgettable. At first, cutting fruit seemed like an ordinary and everyday act, but as i worte, i began to uncover the love hidden within it. I realised that sometimes the people we love don’t need to say “I love you” with words, but with the little things they do. It made me feel grateful because it taught me to slow down and notice the beauty in moments. I think I spend too much time fixated on what people say and worrying about what they aren’t saying, yet I realised someone’s actions tell you all you need to know. This may sound dramatised, but it healed this hole in my young child’s heart as I used to always wondering if my parents truly loved me. Yet, their love was always right in front of me.
Which single line in your poem are you the absolute proudest of?
The line I am most proud of in my poem is:
Maybe love looks like this –
mango cheeks carved from the seed.
Describe your poem in three words
Fruit’s love language.
Where is your absolute favourite place to sit when you are brainstorming ideas?
There’s no favourite place I write, but a moment I cannot predict might inspire me. It’s like my brain has a collection of files or a scrapbook, and a word, a memory or an experience will spark my writing.
Why do you think people write poetry?
I think people write poetry because some feelings and experiences are too significant to be expressed by just a few words. Poetry gives people a way to turn memories, love, pain, dreams and tiny moments into a piece where they can look back to. A poem gives you the chance to take something that feels invisible inside your head and give it a shape and structure someone else can understand and so that they can feel and experience what you felt.