THE WORK IN

CONVERSATION

ILLUSTRATOR EMMY ZHANG RESPONDS TO JAIME CONLAN’S POEM, “PLUM ALLERGY”

PLUM ALLERGY

Beneath the Earth, the roots of plum trees

conceive the eves of a harvest:

it starts with / in

the pit.

That one early September evening

will fall into our waiting hands,

escape the fate of the fermented

graveyard below.

We reach, plucking upward, a hope

of ignoring the putrid jam between

our toes, tasting instead

drops of sweet summer’s shift.

Knots of nausea ensnare intestines

unripened toward this particular sweetness,

a biological response of opposition,

allergic to what could otherwise be simple.

I allow myself one small taste in pursuit

of subduing preconceived and arbitrary

resistances. Overcoming in the suspended joy

of a dozen helping hands.

No one will think of the surrendered

sharp edges favored for fruit-ripe bittersweet

melancholy which feeds us

a beauty we don’t have to be saved from.

Emmy Zhang’s reflection:

Upon reading the poem I immediately thought of the sadness in the ending of summer. The poem evoked a lot of imagery of related to the cycle of life through the words related to:

  • roots/pits/eve (source of life);

  • reach/plucking/hope (growth);

  • decay and fermenting of fruit (ending of life);

  • allergy/resistance (the difficulty of change);

  • bittersweet/melancholy (acceptance and embracing the duality of life/death).

As for the sketches:

  • Sisyphus: He pushes up a plum instead of a boulder. The poem reminded of me of this old story, which I think symbolizes the never-ending cycle and struggle of life.

  • Fruit for thought: I usually absentmindedly eat a piece of fruit (or any food for that matter) and rarely stop to notice how food tastes. The poem brought me back down to earth a bit and reminded me to eat more mindfully. There are more flavor profiles to food than just “this tastes good” or “this tastes bad.”

  • Eye of the plum: this was more of an abstract animation. Had a bit of fun with visualizing the fruit with emotions.

Jaime Conlan is a poet and creative living in Seattle by way of Georgia. Her poems have previously appeared in 4Culture’s Poetry in Public exhibition, as well as Cope Magazine, Ambrosia, and La Revista. Her latest work focuses on chronic illness, capitalism, fascism, womanhood, climate change, and other interconnected topics.

Emmy Zhang is a software engineer and self-taught illustrator based in Seattle, WA. In 2020, she started an art shop called Lucy The Mews, where she shares her animal-inspired art. Emmy also publishes a monthly newsletter with behind-the-scenes updates of her life, art process, and the occasional comic.