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. Leaning into the idea of changing seasons, I noted a few words that reminded me of the cycle of life:

  • roots, pits, eve (source of life);

  • reach, plucking, hope (growth);

  • decay, fermenting (end of life);

  • allergy, resistance (difficulty of change);

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

With these, I thought of three ideas:

  • Sisyphus: The poem reminded of me of this old story, which could be interpreted as the never-ending struggle of life.

  • Eating fruit: I usually absentmindedly eat a piece of fruit (or any food for that matter). Before I know it, I’ve reached the pit. In studying the plum for this poem, I was reminded to eat more mindfully: to notice the flavors, even the sour and bitter notes.

  • Eye of the plum: I had a bit of fun anthropomorphizing fruit. If fruit had emotions, would it be sad about its fate, or be happy that it has fulfilled its purpose?

Jaime Conlan is a poet and creative living in Seattle. Her essays can be found in her newsletter, and her poems have previously appeared in 4Culture’s Poetry in Public exhibition, as well as Breath & Shadow, Cope Magazine, Ambrosia, and La Revista.

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.