lori levy: a peach of a poem

~ jama
art by Melanie Parke.

Happy to share another insightful poem by California poet Lori Levy today. Last time she wrote about her love of eggplant, wanting to make it her special hobby. Now, what about a peach?

Sometimes we just have to be still and let joy find us.

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“Summer Peaches” by Robert Papp via Fine Art America.
PEACH
by Lori Levy

A woman writes about a peach.
I don't know the woman, don't know why,
out of all the poems and stories in a book I've just read,
I remember her and her peach --
how, as she bites into it one August afternoon
while reading on her patio, birds chirping around her,
scent of roses in the air, her depression lifts.

Nothing more than a peach, but it's enough,
the taste just right, juicy and sweet,
fresh from the local farmers' market.
Or maybe it's the woman herself, not expecting anything,
but ready somehow. Open, alert, ripe as her peach.
Four months of crying, grieving,
numb from the death of her husband, and, suddenly,
there it is for a moment: a thrill
she thought she'd never feel again.

A peach. But it could just as well be a baked potato
on a blanket at the beach, as it was for me once,
picnicking with family as the sky turned as luscious
as this woman's peach.

An awakening. A jolt to the senses.
We search and search, and the moment we stop
and pay attention, it's here, not there, and simple as
a peach on a patio. Or a slice of chocolate cream pie
by an open window, sun pouring in.
Or just the sun, a patch on the table,
like a note. A reminder.

~ posted by permission of the author (first published in Iris Literary Journal, March 2023).
“Chocolate Cream Pie” by Jelaine Faunce.

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Note from Lori: Regarding my poem, “Peach,” I was immediately captured by Andrea Hansell’s essay, “The Flowers and Bubbles of Joy,” in an anthology published by Wising Up Press, called “Surprised by Joy.” The sensual pleasure of eating a juicy peach, the joy felt by this woman who was grieving the death of her husband, the little things that stir us and give us pleasure–all this got me thinking and inspired my poem. As I say in the poem, sometimes all we (I) need is a slice of chocolate cream pie to feel good in a particular moment.

Love the idea of being surprised by joy and am happy that Lori chose to reflect on it. Sometimes being caught unaware by the smallest things can make a huge difference.

I was reminded that grief has its own agenda and is experienced differently by everyone. The poem takes on added poignancy knowing the poet herself could directly relate to the woman eating the peach, as she recalled a similar moment of awakening on the beach. In the midst of beige depression, “the sky turned as luscious as this woman’s peach.” A jolt to the senses, a shaft of sunlight on a table, a crack that lets hope back in.

There are times when we all need such a “note”: You’re still in the game. Welcome back to the world.

When was the last time you were surprised by joy?

Art by Melanie Parke.

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Lovely and talented poet, author, and teacher Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is hosting the Roundup at The Poem Farm. Drop by to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Enjoy your weekend!

*Copyright © 2025 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

30 thoughts on “lori levy: a peach of a poem”

  1. Of all summer fruit, peaches are my favorite! Joy comes in the little things. The last time I was surprised by joy was when I saw the 3D photo of my new granddaughter, Gabriella! My son and daughter in-law had such a hard time conceiving, and to be able to share in their excitement was exhilarating! We will all get to meet her in November! Happy weekend everyone!

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  2. Delicious poem and review Of it Jama, peaches are a favorite of mine but alas I can no longer enjoy their absolute fullness… I was surprised this summer by a pumpkin vine that started growing on my bedroom balcony porch, and the tiny l, beautiful, and perfect pumpkin 🎃 that is growing there… Thanks for spreading some joy! 🥰🍂🧡

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  4. Jama, your posts are always a jolt of joy! I can no longer call it unexpected joy, however. 😊 So easy to forget joy when we are grieving. So easy to forget that others grieve. Thank you for this appreciation of a peach to ground us all in everyday joys.

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    1. Grief can be all-consuming, so it’s understandable why even a small joy can come as quite a surprise. Luckily there are parts of us that remain open to it.

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  5. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post, Jama. I am going to share Lori’s poem with a struggling friend and also hold it close to a struggling me. This reminder to be open to it, to the hope, to the sweetness, is everything. xo, a.

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  6. Such a juicy and poignant post, Jama – Thank you for sharing Lori Levy’s poem and all this delicious art. My hubby and both kiddos were born in the peach state (Ga.), though I believe where we are now (SC) actually produces more peaches, maybe? Surprised by Joy is such a wonderful phrase, going back to Wordsworth and C.S. Lewis. This afternoon as I was bringing Rookie back from our walk, I noticed a small, perfect, red tomato on the ground next to the spent plants Jeff took out a few days ago. Ate it with dinner, and it was yummy! xo – Robyn HB

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    1. I do love peaches, even canned ones! I like to think of that lone tomato saying “I’m here, see? Waited just for you!” It must have been doubly delicious since it was an unexpected treat.

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  7. Hehe, I hate peaches, but Lori’s poem still is delicious. I love your “You’re still in the game. Welcome back to the world.” That’s it exactly, Jama. The last time I was jolted by joy like this was also a food-related thing. My sister and I were away in Duluth, MN, overnight–just us two. We were drinking salted caramel liqueur and playing Qwixx on the tiny balcony of our tiny hotel. Our dad had just passed a few days before, and we were both escaping all that that meant and processing it occasionally too. It was a gorgeous evening, and we had just walked on the shore of Lake Superior. Sitting there, with someone I love, with the lake and the sky and the breeze, with the shared experiences we were going through, and with the luxury of that totally unhealthy, delicious drink (a rather large cup of it, I’m afraid), it was a perfect moment that I wanted to make last for hours or even days!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Wow — how wonderful that you were able to appreciate that time together despite the sadness of losing your dad. Loss seems to have a way of making us even more grateful for what we have, along with a renewed awareness that life is short, time is fleeting, and we should try our best to make the most of what is in front of us. Thanks for sharing, Laura.

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  8. I read this post as I ate breakfast at school yesterday. I love the quiet moments before students and staff and bright lights and buzz. This was such a perfect complement to that moment. It was it’s own perfect miracle of time…a bit of joy. Thanks for the delicious poem and paintings. Such perfect pairings.

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  10. Jama, your choices for weekly themes are always meant to inform, inspire, and bring joy. This one holds a poem that I relate to. Thanks for the wisdom that you always bring. “Sometimes we just have to be still and let joy find us.” I could use a jolt of joy.

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  11. This reminds me of the essay in today’s NYT newsletter. Emma Goldberg offers three paths toward AWE: “1. Experiencing awe, counter to what one might think, is about quantity and not only quality. 2. You can create tools to proactively find awe. 3. Looking around for awe can change the way you interact with other people.”

    To all three, I answer: Poetry Friday. Thank you for a peach of a poem!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Levy’s poem is beautiful and so real and true. I have had this happen to me many times, after many-a-kind of grief. That resurrection is an amazing feeling and realization.

    And I feel like the original mentor poem could have been written by Barbara Crooker but I could be wildly off-base. I’ll probably go on an obsessive hunt to find out if Crooker wrote a poem that included both grief and a peach. 🙂

    The art you chose to accompany this post is spot on. So lovely and lively and full of sensory delight.

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  14. I am reading Dear Writer by Maggie Smith and she talks about this very thing and how it can become inspiration for writing. Be surprised by joy! Notice! I love the sensual aspect of this poem. I want to sit with the grieving woman and be there when she feels joy in the simplicity of a peach. Thanks for sharing this delicious poem.

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  15. I am reading Dear Writer by Maggie Smith and she talks about this very thing and how it can become inspiration for writing. Be surprised by joy! Notice! I love the sensual aspect of this poem. I want to sit with the grieving woman and be there when she feels joy in the simplicity of a peach. Thanks for sharing this delicious poem.

    Like

  16. I am reading Dear Writer by Maggie Smith and she talks about this very thing and how it can become inspiration for writing. Be surprised by joy! Notice! I love the sensual aspect of this poem. I want to sit with the grieving woman and be there when she feels joy in the simplicity of a peach. Thanks for sharing this delicious poem.

    Like

  17. I think you’re particularly good at being surprised by joy, Jama, and sharing it with the rest of us. This peach of poem nearly made me cry, but in a good way…

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