Beggars Can’t Be Choosers
My disgruntled spouse surveyed the plum,
then squeezed its flesh beneath his thumb,
saw that there were plenty more
in the tree that grew next door,
and though the crop was most abundant,
he merely saw it as redundant.
There were no grapes for him to filch.
Bananas? It had proffered zilch.
No oranges or apples to
seed and peel and slice and chew.
No limes or lemons to produce
a glass of fresh-squeezed zesty juice.
It made him sad and rather glum
to see plum after purple plum
hung on the tree. Could I dispute
his claim that we’d have to commute
to steal instead various fruit?
I felt his argument was moot.
One must make do with what might come.
The progeny of plum was plum.
If he required figs or berries,
peaches, kiwi fruit or cherries,
he’d have to head out to the store
or plant a a dozen trees or more.
He’d have to mulch and trim and spray,
water every other day,
and wait for years for fruit to grow,
but he was hungry now and so
he went outside and picked him some
plum after plum and plum and plum.
Prompt words today are glum, commute, zilch and abundant. Images thanks to Marius Karotkis and Kelly Neil on Unsplash. Used with permission.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
Well done, I like that one about the plum~! I found some today (in the store where I’m from), Just a few, I could not afford more to go, the big purple ones like you show.. Not soft, too juicy though, nor too hard and tart, being picked too soon, but rather easy to eat before it prunes.
My plums here are the native ones small and hard but make great jelly, and switches to use if you fiddle in church, and my mom and I well knew~!
LikeLike
Do you make jelly? Ambitious.
LikeLike
Judy those times are now past and all I have to show for those days are empty jelly jars which I must take to Goodwill. But with Shirley we always looked for the next berry, May haw, plum, or other fruit. She especially liked the peaches which she both caned or froze. Guess those days are long past but I have friends who remember our giving and now bring jars of jelly to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
turn about
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a good read Judy like all your responses to prompts. Keep playing so that we can learn more. Hugs
LikeLike
Such responses as yours are so encouraging, S ‘n S. Thanks for commenting.
LikeLike
Make plum jam!
LikeLike
What a wonderful fruity pome, love it!
LikeLike
While we were on a vacation in Israel, Owen and his friend were given a bushel of plums — the small ones they also dry as prunes. I think the two of them ate the entire bushel that afternoon. Good thing we had multiple toilets!
LikeLike
OMG eating that many may bring on BIG problems~!
LikeLike
One must make do with what might come.
The progeny of plum was plum.
Wise words. Near my mom’s house in Billings was an enormous wild plum. I went out and picked them for her neighbor to make jelly but before I delivered them, I did a watercolor. It’s truly one of the loveliest fruits.
LikeLike
I always fly into Billings when I go to visit my sister and friends in Sheridan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Sheridan — or did. I haven’t been there since 2010. Beautiful country and my dad and uncles always went there buy illegal firecrackers. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a really special town. Love the way they have preserved the main business district. And, beautiful country.
LikeLike
Do you still have your watercolor?
LikeLike