A Crash Course in Lemon Physics
By Robert Frazier
5 November 2001
how does a lemon mean
now that I've painted them in class
imitating them in oily pigments
that themselves
are imitations of the fruit's spectral physics
I see them more as subjects than objects
they achieve a mystic aura
become violent stabs
incantations of light
the primal utterances of yellow
shopping for lemons
before, I would paw them let them tumble rudely
like loose gravel
rejecting those stippled with the white powder
of internal softness and decay
before, they were a bitter necessity
or a perky accent on the perimeter of my drunk
before, I thought of them bleeding milky juices 
that rivered along the flesh of sea bass
or just as something that leaves sticky pulp
down the squeezer's glass-ribbed post
let's face it
before, I barely thought of them at all
now I hold up shoppers
inspecting each one for pleasing shapes
deep hues
a lack of blemishes
a certain citricness
they're thinking
gourmand
idiot
or maybe lemon snob
I'm proud to be all that
the motion of light on substance 
a skin of a lemon embodies color
the yellow of dying suns
the yolk yellow of a farm-fresh egg
the shocking yellow of jaundice
the pungent yellow of sulfur
the yellow flash of finches
the yellow at the heart of Georgia O'Keeffe's lilies
the yellow that ringed Monet's failing eyesight
the amber yellow that entraps life
fantasia
in the darkness they hold to their richness
like tethered boat lanterns swinging in a blanketing fog
they haunt me larger than life
large as the skins over sports arenas
hanging like starships above me in the night
bleeding weather
and the acrid oils that bead from their pulp
my head floods with the purity of lemons
the trumpeted hues that grow more luminous 
with exposure to the day
they are the fruity absolute whose essences
can dissolve the black residues
of life that ended millions of years ago
just as a truth when simplified and spoken plainly
can circumvent all the crud that accumulates
around the stem of our mortalities
the permanent value of lemons
now the thought of a good lemon can
cut like a solvent through any of my moods 
Lemons are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, and spread to Spain and North Africa during the Middle Ages. The cultivated variety is thought to be a hybrid of wild species of lime and citron. Lemon trees bloom throughout the year, and fruit is picked 6 or more times a year, with an average commercial tree yielding about 1,500 lemons per year.
Martha Stewart showed up at Manhattan FBI Headquarters to have her finger prints taken and pose for a mug shot. Then Martha explained how to get ink off your fingers using seltzer water and lemon juice. Conan O'Brien
Why is it lemon juice contains mostly artificial ingredients but dishwashing liquid contains real lemons? Steven Wright
Remember, when life throws you lemons... genetically re-engineer the lemon tree to eliminate taste compatibility issues, using the profits to increase personal gain and eventually dominate the citrus market.
Don't ask me why I chose lemons today. I just liked this poem, I guess.
Have a great Tuesday!
Love,
Suz
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