A poet uses a child’s paintbrush to coax a single, fist-sized lemon from an indoor tree.

Hear Ilyse Simon read her poem “The Tender.”

Ilyse Simon saw the total eclipse in 2024 and began to write on the back of a crumpled napkin while stuck in traffic. She lived in Virginia for over a decade, where she created the Happy Belly Deli and managed the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op. Now, she is a nutrition therapist by day, burgeoning writer by night, and a mom all the time. She writes because therapy is too expensive. Her poetry has been in Chronogram,  ...