Fruits in Orbit
by Emma Avila Daboub, Harkaway Hills College
Years 7 – 8 Ekphrastic Poetry Finalist
‘Topsy Turvy’ by Nicole Nelius (2022)
Orbit.
Mercury,
a silver blossom
above Venus bright.
Mars blushes red beneath,
a peach drifting through space.
Pompous green Earth carries the lot.
Together they balance in a cosmic circus.
How did writing this poem make you feel?
I really enjoyed writing this poem because I wanted it to be really different to anything else I have written and anything else other people will write. The picture was so funny to look at that I wanted to copy its shape with my words. I hope its as fun to read as it was to write.
Which single line in your poem are you the absolute proudest of?
My favourite part would probably be ‘Mars blushes red beneath’ because blushes makes the planet seem alive under the weight of the other fruit. I imagine part of its surface being scraped away like the skin of a peach.
Describe your poem in three words
Whimsical, fun, full of wonder.
Where is your absolute favourite place to sit when you are brainstorming ideas?
My favourite place to let my imagination loose and brainstorm my ideas is my garden. I love breathing in the fresh air and I can see the reflections of the trees, flowers and the sun gleaming on my tiny pond.
What skills do you think you strengthened through writing this poem?
I realised that I don’t have to write a long, complicated poem to make it good. A short poem can be even more interesting. When I was brainstorming what to write I wrote down that the watermelon looks like earth. That got me thinking about space so I looked it up and realised the other fruit can be other planets.
Why do you think people write poetry?
The purpose of poetry is to be creative and share your thoughts and feelings with the world.