sp09250kreese

"Peeling an Orange" by Virginia Hamilton Adair (1996) //Kristy Reese// Between you and a bowl of oranges I lie nude Reading //The World's Illusion// through my tears. You reach across me hungry for globalfruits, Your bare arm hard, furry and warm on my belly. Your fingers pry the skin of a navel oange Releasing tiny explosions of spicy oil. You place peeled disks of gold in a bizarre pattern On my white body. Rearranging, you bend and bite The disks to release further their eager scent. I say "Stop, you're tickling," my eyes still on the page. Aromas of groves arise. Through green leaves Glow the lofty snows. Through red lips Your white teeth close on a translucent segment. Your face over my face eclipses //The World's Illusion.// Pulp and juice pass into my mouth from your mouth. We laugh against each other's lips. I hold my book Behind your head, still reading, still weeping a little. You say "Read on, I'm just an illusion," rolling Over upon me soothingly, gently moving, Smiling greenly through long lashes. And soon I say "Don't stop. Don't disillusion me." Snows melt. The mountain silvers into many a stream. The oranges are golden worlds in a dark dream.

My first impression of this poem was confusion. I read and re-read and got the impression that the poem is about a couple in an 'intimate' situation. The phrase "Between you and a bowl oforanges I lie nude" (Adair) in the first line sets the scene. Adair's poem goes on to say "through my tears", which changed my initial impression of the situation- the speaker is upset by something. I am curious about the reference to //"The World's Illusion"// but I haven't researched it yet. I am wondering if it is a book or poem...
 * Way 1: First Impressions**

The poem talks about oranges alot. I don't know yet what the symbolic meaning of oranges is yet. It thoroughly describes the fruit, how it looks when it is peeled apart, and the places that oranges grow. I suppose it could be symbolic of the couple's relationship. The depth to which the oranges are described is intriguing to me; as the poem goes on I find myself imagining peeling an orange and seeing "tiny explosions of spicy oil" and "a translucent segment".

The poem includes the couple speaking a few phrases. These words seem to be important to me: "Stop, you're tickling," "Read on, I'm just an illusion," and "Don't stop. Don't disillusion me,". The last two spoken phrases are powerful, and confusing.

I did not find any consistent rhyme or rhythm scheme to this poem. I noticed that there are several sentences that do not end at the line break. Lines 7,8, and 9 are an example of how Adair continues the sentence past the line break. I feel that she does this to keep the reader moving through the poem. I can't say exactly how it works, but it does. It keeps the poem interesting and draws the reader to the next line.
 * Way 2: Engaging With the Text**

Adair uses words that end in "-ing" throughout the poem. "Reading", "Releasing", "Rearranging", "tickling", "reading", "smiling". She also uses alliteration with the words "bend and bite", "place peeled", and "long lashes".