Madonna of the Book 2: cherries, plums, figs
Madonna del Libro, by Sandro Botticelli, 1480-81
This is the second of a series of poems on details from Madonna del Libro, by the Italian Renaissance painter, Sandro Botticelli (the first is linked below). If you wish to chime in with your own perspective on the art or the symbolism in the comments, please do!
Botticelli detail No. 2: still life
Cherries, plums, figs
sit in a maiolica bowl,
as ripe, as unblemished,
as Paradise must surely be,
leaves even, fresh, pert,
as though nourished
by Heaven itself.
So let me bite
into one, a cherry,
and know in its juice,
(that's the idea of it),
the very essence
of Him on my tongue.
And let me ingest, in
the flesh of a plum,
a golden echo of the sun,
the stuff of every crown
of light (not of thorns, no),
only those of light.
And may the figs,
like peace that comes
dropping slow
from trees that rise
from a barren land,
always return—
along with the cherries
and their blood,
and the sun-drenched
plums, fruits conceived
here to fill a bowl,
and this broken world,
with goodness only,
healing, too, one hopes,
and grace. 
Oh! I do love a bit of ekphrasis! Very well done!
This is a cool series!