Ode to an Old Lemon
memo on creative play, + an invitation to tomorrow's Office Hour with me
ODE TO AN OLD LEMON
In the back of
the fridge, a lone
lemon has been
left out of every
hot toddy, every
spritz bath for
salmon, aged and
wizened in its once-waxed
skin, languishing at
34 degrees Fahrenheit.
But today! a groping
hand finds its fingers
around the fruit,
takes a scalpel to
its skin (not expecting
much) and, behold!
Juice pours from its
seams, bursting at
its chance
for one final
HURRAH!
One of my goals for this year is to be more unashamedly weird.
Another is to engage in more creative play.
The two go hand-in-hand, of course.
Play is really a matter of freedom, and unless we unburden ourselves from self-consciousness and our narrow set of expectations for our creativity sometimes, we are bound to be always confined, never truly exploring—and never really having that much fun.
I’ve been hand-writing poetry in a little journal as one form of play lately, and it is such a small thing, and yet it brings such expansiveness to my days. It is so liberating to experiment outside the parameters of the “profitable” and “expected” writing I do for my day job.
This poem about an old lemon came from that place of play. It is such a little poem, but it was just so fun, and that’s why I’m sharing it with you: because I want to invite you into a place of play too.
I believe we all need to have more fun.
So this is just me, writing a little memo today instead of a perfectly formulated essay, to remind you that play is important and it doesn’t have to be a whole big production, but a little really does go a long way, so by golly: go have some today.
How have you been playing lately?
Tomorrow (2/4/26) is my next Office Hour!
Did you know I offer an Office Hour twice a month for paid subscribers? They are the first and third Wednesday of each month from 1:30-2:30 PM (EST) on Zoom. And tomorrow is the first one of February, woot!
A little about me: I’m a freelance editor for HarperCollins, the Editorial Content Director for The Truly Co. magazine, and creator of The Nonfiction Book Proposal Cohort, an eight-week intensive course to help you craft a fully-formed proposal for your nonfiction book idea. I also offer one-on-one coaching sessions to help you with your writing dreams & goals. Oh, and I’m working on my first book with Revell Books (coming 2027!)
Anyway, for $8/month you can drop into these sessions and ask me anything you want, as long as it has to do with writing. I can offer specific feedback, help you identify next steps, hold space for your worries/doubts/celebrations/dreams, and tell you things that I have learned in my experience with the publishing industry. Plus, it’s a great way to get plugged into a writerly community and make some new friends.
