Green Buddhas
On the fruit stand.
We eat the smile
And spit out the teeth.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Charles Simic's poem Watermelons

3 Comments

  1. Stephanie says:

    Poems can portray many different meanings for both the writer and the readers of the poem. The meaning in the poem “Watermelons” to me means we take what we want sometimes without realizing the importance of what we leave behind. While the seeds (teeth) in the watermelons are just a nuisance to us without them there would not be anymore watermelons. The meaning being sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.

    • Life is just like watermelons, we crave for the sweetness and spit out the bitterness without realizing they are the most important to make life begin and starts to grew that will lead 5o sweetness and comfortable like buddha’s sitting with the fruit of success.

  2. Susan Hradil says:

    I love this poem because it makes an offhand comment about life. We
    try, and when we’re in a buddha-state, we succeed, in taking from
    life the sweetness while spitting out the bitter. Saw a guy in Provincetown who had this poem printed on the back of his green t-shirt. Very cool.

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