Always in Season

On By dorahakIn Poems

I met the devil at the crossroads
he was holding a basket of fruits

summer fruits: heightened in blush
eloquent in fragrance, tickling ears
choreographing sinuous guitar-strung blues

I asked him what he was selling
that I could afford, ‘cuz I had no money

peach skin: fuzzy ripening soft
dizzying delectable drippings
through juice-famished fingers

The night was thick with Southern mist
the road steamed where darkness sifted

sweet desire: the devil smiles
the basket away and disappears
like will-o’-the-wisp

sifted, sifted my soul like chaff, alone
at the crossroads looking after him

Mish at dVerse Poetics: "Always in Season" asks us to write about fruits or berries, giving us a broad flexibility of topic, from concrete to abstract. This poem was inspired by legendary blues singer and guitarist Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" (1936).

73 thoughts on “Always in Season”

    1. Mandy,
      I know that Cezanne and it’s so deliciously alluring, something of which I tried to capture by way of the wretched tempted at a crossroads. I should have used it for my photo 🙂 Hope you’re having a good day. Grateful for you, friend!
      pax,
      dora

      Liked by 1 person

  6. sanaarizvi

    Wow!! This is gorgeously rendered. I love how aptly you describe the lure of temptation and its effect upon one especially; “peach skin: fuzzy ripening soft
    dizzying delectable drippings through juice-famished fingers.”💝💝

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Beverly Crawford

    “I met the devil at a crossroads” sounds like an opening for a country song. Someone will steal that phrase. It’s very tempting. That demon devil likes to leave us alone and fruitless, doesn’t he?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Beverly,
      He does indeed. Thank you for getting it. And my daughter thought the same about that opening line! I’ll lend it to George Strait free of charge. 😉
      pax,
      dora

      Like

  10. The devil loves crossroads. He harvested Robert Johnson’s soul at a crossroad. This was well written and stayed aloft beginning to end — no flat spots. Italics is an excellent tool in poetry, and you employed them well here Dora.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. This such a wonderful poem Dora. Such a great use of the Crossroad story. You are right, the things we see and hope will make us happy come at a cost and often disappear leaving us searching for more….
    So well done… Love the peaches image throughout!
    Dwight

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Dwight,
      Thank you so much for those wonderfully generous comments. That crossroads story has taken on a mythical dimension in American culture.
      pax,
      Dora

      Like

    1. Bjorn,
      Thank you so much. I did spin off from the signing on the dotted line into a temptation that though initially denied continues to beckon, causing its own damage, in a devilish twist. It’s fascinating to me how versions of the Faustus story keep appearing in popular culture.
      pax,
      dora

      Like

    1. Ken,
      Never heard of OAS till now. Who would’ve though birch pollen could have anything to do with it? Glad that you can at least eat fruit and nuts cooked, and I can’t tell you how much I love peach cobbler, without compromise! 😉
      Thanks for reading!

      Liked by 1 person

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