Tuesday Prose - Conversations about peaches (Elizabeth Welsh)

June 19, 2012 by Elizabeth | 6 Comments

This week, the Tuesday Poem community are all posting short prose pieces, or flash fiction, in support of NZ’s National Flash Fiction Day, which is to be held on the 22nd of June. There are a lot of regional events on the go, so do check out the webpage and get involved in your area – it is promising to be an outstanding literary event, with workshops, competition prize-giving and readings, open mic events, talks and all sorts of other literary goodies. Here is my flash contribution – ‘Conversations about peaches’ – it was such fun to write!

Conversations about peaches

You said: peaches are hard to grow. There was a tree, you discovered, underneath the cubby-house, growing sideways like an arthritic wrist. Golden Queen peaches, they were, that I fought with blackbirds for. Draping black gauzy nets over lime green globes, I caught a few, with fattened, taut bellies, full of peach juice. It was at this time that I read that book – do you remember the one? – on ancient Briton burial practices. It said that bodies were not buried, but were placed high up in the tree tops, on a bed of leaves. It seemed fitting, then, that these stealers of peaches find a resting place. And, in a tender moment of remorse, you lifted them up, to lay high above my nets, among the ripening peaches.
Head on over to the Tuesday poem hub, where the talented flash-fiction writer & editor, Michelle Elvy, is TP hub editor this week, showcasing Sian William’s flash, Bomb. Don’t forget the poets in the sidebar, as well, who have some equally inspirational pieces of short prose to browse through this Tuesday.

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