Summer’s Secret
by Aryana Sahil, Harkaway Hills College
Years 7 – 8 Ekphrastic Poetry Finalist
‘Poached Pears’ by Penny Brooshooft (2023)
Have you ever seen watermelon growing in a farm?
A sleeping giant,
tucked under a sheet of curly vines.
All the bees want it,
Like noisy siblings obsessed with neon lights
Shhh wait up
When it’s ready, you can pick it up from its cot,
And carry it home
to rest on the kitchen bench
Next to the flowers and the serving bowl.
Until you’re ready
to crack open its hard shell.
You won’t be disappointed
To find the sweet heart of summer inside.
Have you licked your lips yet?
I have.
So red, so fleshy, so fresh.
The sight never grows old.
Everyone gather round!
Have a slice.
It will cool you down
On a sunny day.
Man, I’d give anything for that sweet taste,
for that juicy moment,
And now you see,
How watermelon is special to me,
How did writing this poem make you feel?
Like going back to summer (it’s winter now) and eating my favourite fruit (watermelon). I wanted to pull the reader into the poem from the first sentence by using a question. I’ve never tried that before. I didn’t know what kind of imagery I wanted to use at first but I wanted people to experience watermelon in a different way. My teacher told me to do a brain dump while looking at Watermelon Sugar. I wrote random words that popped into my head on a blank piece of paper and one of them was baby blanket because of the sheet in the background, the way the watermelon is leaning on it and the childish looking bowl next to it. My teacher said that was original and to keep thinking of baby images I could use throughout my poem to show the journey of a watermelon from the farm to my stomach.
Which single line in your poem are you the absolute proudest of?
My favourite line is ‘To find the sweet heart of summer inside’ because I love summer and surprises. When you open a watermelon it’s so juicy and fresh, I can’t think of a better treat in hot weather.
Describe your poem in three words
Summer, vibing, fresh.
Where is your absolute favourite place to sit when you are brainstorming ideas?
My favourite place to write poetry is in my bed where it’s nice and cosy. I like watching the sun set there. I also like writing poetry at the beach because I feel relaxed there but I don’t get to go there that much.
What skills do you think you strengthened through writing this poem?
I grew in patience because I wanted to find the right word to describe each part of my poem and it didn’t always come to me straight away. Sometimes I had to put it down and pick it up again another day when I felt more inspired. My teacher taught us about enjambment which is when your sentence is broken into two lines to emphasise certain words. It felt strange to break grammar rules but kind of liberating at the same time.
Why do you think people write poetry?
To express deep emotions and to tell a story in a entertaining way so people listen and see things from a new perspective. For example, in my poem, I want people to feel hungry for watermelon when they read it.