Eating Plums
By Eileen Chong
after William Carlos Williams’ “To A Poor Old Woman”
I won’t wait. I can already smell them—
they’re ripe, and they’re ready. I love the sound my teeth make when I bite through skin,
then flesh. Juice down my chin. I mouth
one half; I suck on its sweetness. I spit out
the seed. I see you watching me—you think
I’m poor, eating this plum on the sidewalk,
my grey hair uncovered, my fingers stained.
You, with your waistcoat and glasses and your shiny shoes. Why have you not got a plum, then? You look hungry. I’m the one eating it.
This is my plum. I run my tongue over
my lips. I wipe the back of my hand
across my sticky mouth, and smear plum.
Eileen Chong is an Australian poet who was born in Singapore. She is the author of six books, her latest being Rainforest, from Pitt Street Poetry. She is widely published and has been shortlisted for multiple awards, including twice for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, the richest literary prize in Australia. She lives and works in Sydney.