Cherries

When I write the nativity,
the mystics will come from the South, and bring cherries
because their lustre is more carnal than gold;
because when I bite them, they bleed,
red flesh hanging on a wooden core;
because, like the star, they are pointers
from this world
that the spirit has arrived
from that spirit-world.
I could hang them on my tree,
but instead I receive them
as a summer Eucharist
and I am filled.

copyright amber proctor 2009
[untitled photo of cherries] retrieved 27th December 2009, from:
http://www.buttermilkpress.com/blog/recipe-for-cool-cherry-soup-perfect-for-summer-meals/.