Better to Nourish than to Rot
by Ruansh Chowdhury, Good News Lutheran College
Years 7 – 8 Performance Poetry Finalist
The purple mythical grapes waited, shining in their tyrian coat.
Besides them, the glorious neon watermelon, still as a boat…
But beyond them all stood the curious human, judging each fruit as sharply as a knife.
The hand, hovering over the fruits, wavering among all natural splendours of life.
The human eyed the ripe berries with pride, their skins gleaming bright.
The hand held one up, the jaw opened wide, and the fruits heard a big BITE!
The fruity companions looked in awe, traumatised in utter shock!
The berry’s bright blood, pulverised in the human’s jaw, strong as a lock!
Now the fruits understood the harsh consequence of beauty,
While the Pink Pomegranate was next for the incisors duty…
And one by one, the fruits were picked from the bowl.
Being bitten off, the skins leaving their sweet souls.
At the end, only two lone survivors on the plate.
Would they prevail, or was it too late?
The overripe apple, eyeing the hand in fear,
Was no match for what was truly near…
The hand decided the mandarin as the final course,
And the teeth juiced the pieces in merciless force!
But now the human was satisfied, and the apple stood.
It was never worth it. It was never good…
The overgrown apple grinned at his companion’s death.
No more spiky lychee edges! No more jackfruit bad breath!
He watched the human wander off in happy sustenance.
Now he was the fruit to get a taste of sweet prominence!
But what was power, with no people to lead?
No fruits to see, and no one to heed.
So the apple sat, hoping for new fruits to come.
Days, weeks passed. No melons or berries or plums.
But the apple still felt grand, despite everything.
No fruits to be with. No ripe memories to bring.
Day by day, the Apple mocked his eaten friends,
Their dooms, and the final moments to their cruel ends.
The apple never realised that the fruits defined courage.
They provided food, at the cost of a day’s leverage.
All of them grew and grew, to one day be eaten,
They matured through sun and rain, growing more sweetened.
But the uneaten apple, although relieved in all its pride,
Lingered in the kitchen, alone and soon rottenly died.
How did writing this poem make you feel?
Writing this poem made me feel truly like myself. I believe I have captured my imagination and creativity within this poem while adding a humorous twist and a powerful moral. I feel incredibly happy to have the opportunity to enter this competition, as I would love for my poetry to be shared with the world and, hopefully, give someone a good chuckle or bring a smile to their face. I particularly love using personification in my poems. I believe personification allows poets to uncover and express the hidden emotions within the seemingly ordinary things in life, which is something I love imagining. It gives me the freedom to look at everyday objects and situations from a completely different perspective. Overall, I feel incredibly proud of this poem and of the creative process that brought it to life.
Which single line in your poem are you the absolute proudest of?
My favourite part of my poem is the finishing stanza:
‘But the uneaten apple, although relieved in all its pride,
Lingered in the kitchen, alone and soon rottenly died.’
To me, these lines capture the main message of the poem: Life is about discovering our purpose in life, making the most of every opportunity, appreciating each moment, and always remaining humble, grateful and empathetic towards others.
Describe your poem in three words
Purpose, empathetic, loneliness.
Where is your absolute favourite place to sit when you are brainstorming ideas?
As a foodie, my favourite place to brainstorm ideas is definitely the kitchen table. That’s where I sit with my family, enjoy dinner, discuss the day and all sorts of things, eat delicious food, and feel grateful to God for what I have. “Food for thought!”
What skills do you think you strengthened through writing this poem?
Through writing this poem, I strengthened my creativity, imagination, and ability to express meaningful ideas through humour and creative language.
Why do you think people write poetry?
In my opinion, people write poetry to express their feelings and emotions through a beautiful collection of words and lines. Poetry allows us to explore and describe ideas in an artful way that can inspire, move, and connect with others. Poetry is truly powerful; its ability to influence, shape, and touch people is both remarkable and inspiring.