One of my favorite things about fall is the sudden overflowing abundance of persimmons. Any stand at any farmers market proudly boasts baskets and boxes bursting with them. Persimmons are one of my beloved fruits. They are so delectable and autumnal. Just a few weeks ago, I started eating them with the skin on for the first time. “Like an apple,” as some farmers market vendors have said.

ps – speaking of persimmons, here’s a gorgeous haunting poem that features them somewhat. Introduced to me by Peg. Here’s an excerpt:

“Some things never leave a person:
scent of the hair of one you love,
the texture of persimmons,
in your palm, the ripe weight.”

Ideas of mortality, the body’s vulnerabilities and frailty, and corporeal suffering have been plaguing my mind lately. These things slap you in the face when you cut yourself while slicing tomatoes and proceed to bleed like the dickens.

Then others share their horrific kitchen accident tales (please be careful when you wash glass tumblers).

Then you see your dad’s elderly (but perfectly “functional”) neighbor sitting on her own front steps covered in blood because she fell and hit her head and the wound is so bad you can see the bone of her forehead, and there’s a thick gelatinous sheet of coagulated globular blood just jiggling off her chin. You ask her if it hurts and she calmly says no. She’s perfectly lucid and not flipping out.

And your roommate gets hit by a car while riding his bike (any day now it’ll be me too). Even the video from first aid training at work, though funny, had me a bit spooked.

It’s terrifying how in a blink of an eye, injury can happen. The most mundane, habitual activities can wreak havoc in a split second. Even leaving the house can have grave consequences. Anything can happen!

Uh, I guess what I’m saying is. BE CAREFUL out there.