On Southern Women & Peaches

 first, there is the reaching:

"The best kinda peach is the one outta reach," my grandmother was fond of saying

so, the best ones will not be easily accessible

you will need a good eye, a ladder, and a plan

peaches take patience, and

you may need to wait a bit

then, on closer inspection you'll note:

the blush - blooming over her cheeks, this is a relic of bygone era femininity unparalleled in her peers 

the shoulders - well-defined, blooming outward

the yellow - should be an eye-catching deep golden all over

the suture - she's weathered storms and has the scar to prove it

a reminder here that she comes from roses

in case you had forgotten

reach out again:

there is an art to the timing of picking a peach

she should come off into your hand easily

willingly

surprisingly heavier in your hand than you'd reckoned

she is firm and strong

but peaches take patience

you may still need to wait 

inspecting:

turn her over gently in your hand, appreciating her beauty

bring her immediately to your face

breathe in the smell of her

mind your descent - bruise this one now and she may not recover

preparing:

take her inside

she may need a day or two on the windowsill in your kitchen to mellow

you will know by the smell of her

the weight of her

but peaches take patience, and

you may need to wait a bit longer

consuming:

bring her to your face one last time, breathe deeply 

close your eyes and kiss her

teeth to suture, bite slowly

savor

first bursting sweet over your tongue with tart notes underneath

these Southern women are luscious, with a wit that can sting but leave you wanting more

she is all the sunshine and rain and wind and the buzz of bees

dripping down your chin

running in rivulets down your wrist

best eaten over the kitchen sink

the end:

finally you come to it

her heart of stone buried deep in the center of herself

survival forged this iron case for her

where nothing could penetrate

Southern women are an anomaly that way

soft on the outside with cast iron inside

but if you nurture this rigid heart

tend to it anyway

it will soften

break open

sprout

she will give you more 

than you can bear

and even though you have consumed her

she is a part of you now

and you will never forget her

while you cannot have her always, just wait

because you'll find her again the next summer

so much of enjoying a peach

is the waiting.