The Traveling Onion

“It is believed that the onion originally came from India. In Egypt it was an object of worship — why I haven’t been able to find out. From Egypt the onion entered Greece and on to Italy, thence into all of Europe.” — Better Living Cookbook

When I think how far the onion has traveled

just to enter my stew today, I could kneel and praise

all small forgotten miracles,

crackly paper peeling on the drainboard,

pearly layers in smooth agreement,

the way the knife enters onion

and onion falls apart on the chopping block,

a history revealed.

And I would never scold the onion

for causing tears.

It is right that tears fall

for something small and forgotten.

How at meal, we sit to eat,

commenting on texture of meat or herbal aroma

but never on the translucence of onion,

now limp, now divided,

or it’s traditionally honorable career:

For the sake of others,

disappear.

MARGINALIA

I’ve barely had any sleep for the past three days. There are only power naps and closing my eyes for a few seconds, before I am spurred back into action, deadlines breathing down my neck. The only breaks I have are trips to the bathroom to pee. I’m so busy I don’t even have time for a cigarette. I’m down to two meals a day, thereabouts.

Anyway, here, an ode to an onion. It’s Friday night. I want to lock myself in my room and sleep until Monday, but my desk is waiting.

KEEP READING

SHARED WITH GRATITUDE

This poem appeared in    Words Under Words: Selected Poems  by Naomi Shihab Nye  , published by Far Corner Books, 1995. (Available on:  Amazon  •  Bookshop )

DESCRIPTION

“Words Under the Words gathers into a single volume the finest poems by one of the most exciting, accessible poets in America today. This long-awaited collection draws from Naomi Shihab Nye’s three critically acclaimed books: Different Ways to Pray, Yellow Glove, and National Poetry Series winner, Hugging the Jukebox.” ( Source )

ABOUT NAOMI SHIHAB NYE

Naomi Shihab Nye was born on March 12, 1952, in St. Louis to a Palestinian father and an American mother. Nye is the author of numerous poetry collections, including    Grace Notes: Poems about Family    (Greenwillow Bookss, 2024);    Cast Away: Poems for Our Time    (Greenwillow Books, 2020);    The Tiny Journalist    (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2019);    Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners    (Greenwillow Books, 2018);    Transfer    (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2011);    You and Yours    (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2005) and    19 Varieties  …  (more)

Naomi Shihab Nye was born on March 12, 1952, in St. Louis to a Palestinian father and an American mother. Nye is the author of numerous poetry collections, including    Grace Notes: Poems about Family    (Greenwillow Bookss, 2024);    Cast Away: Poems for Our Time    (Greenwillow Books, 2020);    The Tiny Journalist    (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2019);    Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners    (Greenwillow Books, 2018);    Transfer    (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2011);    You and Yours    (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2005) and    19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East    (Greenwillow Books, 2002), a collection of new and selected poems. ( Source )

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ENDNOTES

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ON THIS DAY

On This Day

I Have Always Confused Desire With Apocalypse by Daphne Gottlieb

2026

Addendum by Diane Ackerman

2020

Endings by Derek Walcott

2017

The Traveling Onion by Naomi Shihab Nye

2011