Peaches and Poetry

What does summer fruit have to do with poetry you ask?

The fragrant and juicy ripe peaches, which are abundant where I live at this time of year, often make me think of high school English lit class, and some particular lines from "The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock" by TS Eliot

I grow old ... I grow old ... 

I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. 

Shall I part my hair behind?   Do I dare to eat a peach? 

I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. 

I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. 

I do not think that they will sing to me.

There is plenty more to the poem. Some of it easily digested, other parts needing further research and thoughtful consideration.  However, those are the lines that stuck over the years; as did the excitement my teacher expressed when leading the class discussion on the author and his work. To me the words were the musings of a man unhappy with growing older and having missed chances.  I took them as an inspiration to try to do more, to be more, to not look back with regret. 

"Live life to the fullest people!" Take chances and let things get a little messy.  The moments that are the most juicy are also the most rewarding and memorable.

Plus- the peaches are truly delicious: fresh on their own, on ice cream, with cheese, in a salad, baked into a cobbler.....