avatarDenise Darby

Summary

The website content reflects on childhood memories associated with lemon and cumquat trees, the process of making lemonade, and the impact of a writer's community on Medium.

Abstract

The author recounts fond memories of playing in a spacious backyard with citrus trees, detailing the joy of eating cumquats and the annual tradition of juicing lemons by hand to make lemonade. The narrative includes a poignant moment when a freeze killed the lemon tree, ending the family's lemonade-making ritual. The piece also expresses gratitude towards a fellow writer, Carolyn, whose work inspired the author to explore these memories and to participate in a Medium poetry prompt. The author acknowledges the vibrant community of writers on Medium that fosters such inspiration and collaboration.

Opinions

  • The author has a nostalgic affection for the cumquat and lemon trees of their childhood, associating them with joy and family tradition.
  • There is a clear preference for the round, sweet cumquats over the sour variety, with the act of spitting out the seeds being a cherished part of the experience.
  • The process of juicing lemons is described with a sense of ritual and community, involving family members in an assembly line to produce lemonade.
  • The author expresses a sense of loss over the death of the lemon tree due to a freeze, indicating its significant role in their life.
  • There is an appreciation for the tactile experience of using metal ice cube trays, as evidenced by the vivid description of the sound they make.
  • The author values the inspiration drawn from other writers on Medium, particularly highlighting the influence of Carolyn and the Paper Poetry community.
  • The piece conveys an overall sense of warmth and connection, both to the past and to the current community of writers.

September Verses

Lemons Visited

An American cinquain response to a friend.

Image by author.

Yellow Bulbous profuse Hand-picked family chore Oh my God, the sweet lemonade Sunshine

Growing up, we had two citrus trees in the backyard: a lemon tree and a cumquat tree. These trees are tied to some of my favorite childhood memories.

Our yard was the biggest on the block. It often served as the neighborhood playground for games of tag, hide-and-seek, and Fox Fox. In between rounds, I would pluck cumquats off the tree and pop them into my mouth., peelings and all.

Still, I cannot resist a producing cumquat tree. One must be careful though. There are two varieties. The oblong ones are sour and will pucker your face. These are best left for jams and other sweetened concoctions.

The round ones though…those are sweet, but not too sweet, a bit juicy, and just the right size to go straight in. Swallowing or spitting out the seeds is the eater’s choice. I prefer to spit them as far as I can. All part of a relived, cherished moment.

And the lemon tree…it produced bumper crops each year. One hard winter. a freeze (uncommon in the southern part of the United States) did it in. It was a sad day when our yearly ritual of juicing lemons came to an end.

Each year we would juice the lemons by hand. I still have my mother’s glass citrus reamer. We’d make an assembly line. Someone would roll and cut the lemons in half, someone would ream and pour the juice through a strainer and someone would pour the strained juice into ice cube trays and put them in the freezer.

Does anyone remember the metal ice cube trays? You filled them then put the metal grid into the tray. After freezing there was a lever to be pulled to release the cubes. I hear the screechy sound of metal scraping the hard, yellow cubes as I write this. Bagged and stored, the promise of sweet lemonade.

Author’s Note: I so badly wanted to embed a picture of one of those metal trays with lemons. I found a picture online that fit the bill but was unable to secure permission and the muse could wait no longer to hit publish. I’m including a link here: myplasticfreelife.com … just in case you want to see it. I have not given up the search.

The muse offered another American cinquain:

Sticky Sugar sweet mess Cold metal spoon taste test The precise between sour and sweet Childhood

I have to thank Carolyn for this two-day rabbit-hole, walk down memory lane. She tagged me in her story, Lemon, and I have a feeling I am not done with what she has touched off inside of me. It is always a fun endeavor to be inspired by other writers. It is one of the things about Medium I most appreciate, without which I would have never met such wonderful writers.

Find Carolyn’s American cinquain here:

Find Paper Poetry’s September Prompt here:

Some great responses to the prompt:

Paper Poetry
Childhood Memories
September Verses
Lemon
Writing
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