Having waited patiently all summer, I watched the small green fruit of the pomegranate tree grow, ripened and developed into voluminous ruby, red globes. Greedily and without shame, I reached for the biggest one I could find. I cracked open my prize, to be rewarded with the site of its glistening, tart-sweet seeds. I now understood why Persephone, the Greek goddess of spring and fruit could not resist the tempting pomegranate, consuming nearly the entire fruit before halting herself and leaving only six seeds uneaten. Unfortunately, I didn’t have her restraint and gluttonously ate three pomegranates, one after another. I returned home with my face, hands and clothes stained red, in awe of Mother Natures ability to have created the most perfectly balanced sweet/sour fruit I had ever tasted.
I wish I had remembered Aristotle’s ancient words of wisdom, "pan metro ariston", because that night I suffered the worst stomach ache of my life.
Sun-Kissed Pomegranate
