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Difficult Fruit
A collection of poems about coming into self-knowledge—of fighting for and winning personhood as a woman in the world—this offering from Trinidadian poet Lauren Alleyne grapples with personal experience. The poems form a lyric memoir of the author’s life, chronicling a journey that includes coming to terms with violence and loss, celebrating love and connection, and standing witness in the world that shaped that journey. The central poem, “Eighteen,” which narrates the aftermath of sexual assault, and another, “Thirty,” which addresses the virtues of self-reliance, are representative of several poems of age that both chronicle and disrupt time, looking at the speaker’s past as a way to understand the present. These poems are a movement through fracture—both necessary and unwarranted—toward wholeness and transformation. This debut collection introduces a striking new voice in poetry.
- GenresPoetry
72 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 14, 2014
The debut collection of poetry I have been waiting for, and people, it does not disappoint. Fearless, furious, and probing, the poems in this book interrogate, mourn, illuminate, and sing praise. About longing, and the necessity and accompanying terrors of change--about the challenges and joys of girlhood, womanhood, and being human in this world, Difficult Fruit is an astounding debut.
June 1, 2014
Looking over my reviews of poetry books, I see that I gave Hailey Leithauser's "Swoop" four stars, though I almost gave it five, and I'm doing the same here, but for the opposite reason. Leithauser has beautiful technique and little to say, while Alleyne has important things to say and a writing style that's more mainstream (please note, I'm an unabashed formalist).
The standout, for me, is "Eighteen," a sequence of ten 14-line poems dealing with the lifelong aftermath of rape. Here's an excerpt:
---
In the raft of language, we begin our escape:
We hold ourselves tightly inside it, whisper
its single syllable like a spell. The word
means it was not your fault for liking him,
for kissing him, for leaning into the touch
he pressed against your shoulders. Despite
your desire, despite the first thrill, the word
means you said no, too, and that matters.
The word tells us you were not being punished
by God. The word means you were not weak,
not stupid, not damned; you were a victim --
not a tease, not a cautionary tale or a moral.
This is what a word can give: definition,
meaning -- the closest we can get to salvation.
---
"The X-Ray" is another poem that has stuck with me. It was originally published in IthacaLit and can be found in its entirety here:
http://ww.ithacalit.com/poetry3.html#...
It ends with this image, which I think any woman can relate to:
I have longed to live like this:
to be held up to the light, naked
beneath any official stare---found whole.
--
There's real insight in this collection. There's also imagery, like the X-ray image, that makes sense, whose purpose is to deepen our understanding of the subject -- making it new, but not thrown in at random for the sake of being "surprising" (oh what an overused word by poetry critics). I admire that.
The standout, for me, is "Eighteen," a sequence of ten 14-line poems dealing with the lifelong aftermath of rape. Here's an excerpt:
---
In the raft of language, we begin our escape:
We hold ourselves tightly inside it, whisper
its single syllable like a spell. The word
means it was not your fault for liking him,
for kissing him, for leaning into the touch
he pressed against your shoulders. Despite
your desire, despite the first thrill, the word
means you said no, too, and that matters.
The word tells us you were not being punished
by God. The word means you were not weak,
not stupid, not damned; you were a victim --
not a tease, not a cautionary tale or a moral.
This is what a word can give: definition,
meaning -- the closest we can get to salvation.
---
"The X-Ray" is another poem that has stuck with me. It was originally published in IthacaLit and can be found in its entirety here:
http://ww.ithacalit.com/poetry3.html#...
It ends with this image, which I think any woman can relate to:
I have longed to live like this:
to be held up to the light, naked
beneath any official stare---found whole.
--
There's real insight in this collection. There's also imagery, like the X-ray image, that makes sense, whose purpose is to deepen our understanding of the subject -- making it new, but not thrown in at random for the sake of being "surprising" (oh what an overused word by poetry critics). I admire that.
March 8, 2014
Read this in one sitting after hearing Lauren read from it at her Dubuque opening. Great to see some of my favorite poems in this collection. Even more amazing to see the narrative she tells of loss, love, and reconciliation laid bare on the pages of this book. So much love for this woman!
April 15, 2014
I liked most of the poetry, but it wasn't what I was expecting. That may be a good thing though, I hadn't really ever read anything like this.
September 27, 2025
"I have longed to live like this:
to be held up to the light, naked
beneath any official stare - found whole"
the woman is describing an X-RAY...
An incredibly tender, funny and moving collection of poems that had me sniffling at 2am. Alleyne paints with words and her portrait of womanhood is saturated with love and empathy; to blossom and ripen, and to be soft on one's past selves. Enjoyed this immensely :')
to be held up to the light, naked
beneath any official stare - found whole"
the woman is describing an X-RAY...
An incredibly tender, funny and moving collection of poems that had me sniffling at 2am. Alleyne paints with words and her portrait of womanhood is saturated with love and empathy; to blossom and ripen, and to be soft on one's past selves. Enjoyed this immensely :')
August 13, 2020
all that I'd want in a book of poems -- at once exacting, lyrical, gentle, specific, full of love.
February 28, 2019
I think this poet is amazing! I don't read a lot of poetry, but her's I will sit down and devour!
February 8, 2024
these poems are marvelous, heartrending, hopeful. i feel v grateful to have picked up this collection.
August 16, 2025
I had the pleasure to spend a few times in the Dubuque Writer's Group that was operating when I first moved back to Iowa. From the moment I read one of her poems, I recognized her skill and artistry (and I like to think she could see mine).
For years, I kept one of her drafts from those writer's critique groups on my fridge. It shook me to the core every time I read it.
This is Lauren's first collection of poems and it didn't disappoint. She speaks of race, and violence, of love, and profound loss. Like her poetic sisters before her, she writes of her experiences as a woman, and as a woman of color. Lucille Clifton comes to mind in several poems. One poem references Anne Sexton, and as a fan of Sexton's poetry, Lauren was channeling Sexton's voice as if she were whispering in her ear beside her.
For years, I kept one of her drafts from those writer's critique groups on my fridge. It shook me to the core every time I read it.
This is Lauren's first collection of poems and it didn't disappoint. She speaks of race, and violence, of love, and profound loss. Like her poetic sisters before her, she writes of her experiences as a woman, and as a woman of color. Lucille Clifton comes to mind in several poems. One poem references Anne Sexton, and as a fan of Sexton's poetry, Lauren was channeling Sexton's voice as if she were whispering in her ear beside her.
December 29, 2019
If you have a teenager (or maybe just the gift of sentience) "Fifteen" will have you tearing up...Hopefully more later, but for now, this collection is gorgeous and ever more so especially as it proceeds through sections 2 and 3. Intimate, personal collection from a poet with a command of lyricism and craft who never allows the work to be merely sentimental-while taking care to not let the skill obscure the sentiment. This is always my favorite stuff. So good.
Fifteen
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/534028
(See also "The Edges of Things," "Love In A Major," "Love In B Major" back to back to back) (!)
Fifteen
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/534028
(See also "The Edges of Things," "Love In A Major," "Love In B Major" back to back to back) (!)
April 29, 2019
Such a beautiful collection
December 26, 2015
When did you last read a new volume of poetry? If it is "a long time ago" or "never" then this would be an ideal time and place to correct that, and this would be an ideal book to do so with.
It is an excellent volume of poetry that I thought might not be for me (male, 40s) but which turned out to have a universality of appeal beyond my initial expectations (the sleeve makes it seem quite gendered). I found this collection moving and its language often very sharp. Compared to the last book of poetry I read, this is formally superior to an almost impossible degree. It is also right up to date in its subject matter, reflecting on news stories that are still fresh in the mind.
The lauded poems on females and violence are present and have an impact but it is other poems that spoke to me more and showed the writer's versatility. Talking to the Dead stares directly at grief and presents an unflinching look at the experience. How it touches us takes the same theme and relates a real life bereavement of a classmate that is rendered with great power and a vicious closing emotional punch. The Most Depressing Day of the Year, also dedicated to an individual, looks at 24th January and reflects upon one born on that day, musing with only the slightest whiff of ironic humour about the challenges such an individual might face. The subject matter each time a challenge but the results a guidebook through experience. To hear someone who knows is a wonderfully affirming aspect of poetry.
Dear Christopher is a poem I shall never forget; its central image one of staggering sadness. It is about the loss of a father, which I can relate to, but its specific circumstances are far removed from my experience and I could weep for the boy (hopefully imaginary) caught in the particular situation. It is worth the price of the book on its own.
Fathers feature frequently: Catching Spy is another exploration, seemingly more personal, of these relationships.
There are a series of poems exploring love linked to various note, i.e. A Major, which explore love from different perspectives (or at different frequencies), some of which resonate with recognition. A Major is boldly in love; B Minor is sour; A Flat contains a wonderful little narrative.
Seven is another marvellous poem, built around the instant of an image. It is very clever as it plays with time and experience.
Letters to John Rambo was the last poem I expected to encounter after all of this serious fare, with its (mostly) tongue in cheek letters (7 of) dancing around, before skewering the machismo.
Ode to the Belly also shares this light touch, revelling greedily in food with a passion. It is placed next to Grace Before Meals which explores our food culture before delivering a stunning wallop of a closing line that brings one's feet right back to ground.
There is plenty more to enjoy but this tour of my personal highlights is bounteously full to an extent that I have not encountered since early Armitage collections. Difficult Fruit is exciting and skilful poetry, often about women and their experience of mistreatment, but to solely focus on this would be to minimise a panoramic and wonderful experience. Bravo!
It is an excellent volume of poetry that I thought might not be for me (male, 40s) but which turned out to have a universality of appeal beyond my initial expectations (the sleeve makes it seem quite gendered). I found this collection moving and its language often very sharp. Compared to the last book of poetry I read, this is formally superior to an almost impossible degree. It is also right up to date in its subject matter, reflecting on news stories that are still fresh in the mind.
The lauded poems on females and violence are present and have an impact but it is other poems that spoke to me more and showed the writer's versatility. Talking to the Dead stares directly at grief and presents an unflinching look at the experience. How it touches us takes the same theme and relates a real life bereavement of a classmate that is rendered with great power and a vicious closing emotional punch. The Most Depressing Day of the Year, also dedicated to an individual, looks at 24th January and reflects upon one born on that day, musing with only the slightest whiff of ironic humour about the challenges such an individual might face. The subject matter each time a challenge but the results a guidebook through experience. To hear someone who knows is a wonderfully affirming aspect of poetry.
Dear Christopher is a poem I shall never forget; its central image one of staggering sadness. It is about the loss of a father, which I can relate to, but its specific circumstances are far removed from my experience and I could weep for the boy (hopefully imaginary) caught in the particular situation. It is worth the price of the book on its own.
Fathers feature frequently: Catching Spy is another exploration, seemingly more personal, of these relationships.
There are a series of poems exploring love linked to various note, i.e. A Major, which explore love from different perspectives (or at different frequencies), some of which resonate with recognition. A Major is boldly in love; B Minor is sour; A Flat contains a wonderful little narrative.
Seven is another marvellous poem, built around the instant of an image. It is very clever as it plays with time and experience.
Letters to John Rambo was the last poem I expected to encounter after all of this serious fare, with its (mostly) tongue in cheek letters (7 of) dancing around, before skewering the machismo.
Ode to the Belly also shares this light touch, revelling greedily in food with a passion. It is placed next to Grace Before Meals which explores our food culture before delivering a stunning wallop of a closing line that brings one's feet right back to ground.
There is plenty more to enjoy but this tour of my personal highlights is bounteously full to an extent that I have not encountered since early Armitage collections. Difficult Fruit is exciting and skilful poetry, often about women and their experience of mistreatment, but to solely focus on this would be to minimise a panoramic and wonderful experience. Bravo!
March 30, 2021
A poetry collection that is a journey which includes coming to terms with sexual violence and loss, with celebrating love and connection, and bearing witness to the world that shaped that journey.
I don’t often read poetry, mainly because I feel I don’t “get it” and don’t get enjoyment from it. With Difficult Fruit however, I found the poems to be affecting and easy to connect with and understand.
The poems deal with growing up and loss, how someone feels when burying a friend or dealing with an assault on their body and mind. Some poems are quite upsetting or uncomfortable as it doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities people go through, especially women as they grow up.
The poems in the collection are short, often no more than a page long and they are written in different styles. Some with one long stanza, while others are broken up in parts.
One of my favourite poems in the collection was “The Hoodie Stands Witness for Trayvon Martin” which personifies the hoody that Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was shot and killed in 2012, wears. It’s short and unsettling and really affecting, especially as it’s about a real event and person that’s shocking and unjust. I don’t think I’d ever read a poem before that was so obviously about a certain event or person and it made me really stop and consider the poem and what it was saying.
I often find poems easy to just read and move onto the next one without much thought because they’re short and are about different things. However, with Difficult Fruit I found myself stopping to consider the meaning of a lot of the poems as while they were short, they were impactful.
I don’t often read poetry, mainly because I feel I don’t “get it” and don’t get enjoyment from it. With Difficult Fruit however, I found the poems to be affecting and easy to connect with and understand.
The poems deal with growing up and loss, how someone feels when burying a friend or dealing with an assault on their body and mind. Some poems are quite upsetting or uncomfortable as it doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities people go through, especially women as they grow up.
The poems in the collection are short, often no more than a page long and they are written in different styles. Some with one long stanza, while others are broken up in parts.
One of my favourite poems in the collection was “The Hoodie Stands Witness for Trayvon Martin” which personifies the hoody that Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was shot and killed in 2012, wears. It’s short and unsettling and really affecting, especially as it’s about a real event and person that’s shocking and unjust. I don’t think I’d ever read a poem before that was so obviously about a certain event or person and it made me really stop and consider the poem and what it was saying.
I often find poems easy to just read and move onto the next one without much thought because they’re short and are about different things. However, with Difficult Fruit I found myself stopping to consider the meaning of a lot of the poems as while they were short, they were impactful.
June 27, 2014
My review for the San Francisco Book Review:
There is no such thing as a typical journey from girlhood to womanhood, but all have some commonalities, some moments to which women will relate. This collection of poems, small in size, carries great power and beauty and insightfulness within its covers. Not all of the memories in poems represented here are pretty or sweet, but all are honest and true. A memory of a childhood diabetic friend who dies far too young, and the magnitude of the funeral as seen through the eyes of a child, will leave the reader haunted. The simplicity of a snowstorm that becomes an internal tug-of-war is perfect for a woman of a certain age.
“Outside, snowflakes hurtle toward earth
like fat, determined birds.
But the wind derails their intent,
makes a gorgeous ballet of their frustrated march.”
These poems are rife with dichotomies – passion and indifference, radiance and gloom, arrivals and departures. They examine life through music, religion, nostalgia, and sensation. But all work with an urgency to put their reflections out where they can be examined and grasped. The words carry much weight within their arrangements and much beauty in their cadence. Lauren K. Alleyne has stripped away the pretenses so often found in such collections and given readers the assignment to examine their own lives and find the essences of their souls.
There is no such thing as a typical journey from girlhood to womanhood, but all have some commonalities, some moments to which women will relate. This collection of poems, small in size, carries great power and beauty and insightfulness within its covers. Not all of the memories in poems represented here are pretty or sweet, but all are honest and true. A memory of a childhood diabetic friend who dies far too young, and the magnitude of the funeral as seen through the eyes of a child, will leave the reader haunted. The simplicity of a snowstorm that becomes an internal tug-of-war is perfect for a woman of a certain age.
“Outside, snowflakes hurtle toward earth
like fat, determined birds.
But the wind derails their intent,
makes a gorgeous ballet of their frustrated march.”
These poems are rife with dichotomies – passion and indifference, radiance and gloom, arrivals and departures. They examine life through music, religion, nostalgia, and sensation. But all work with an urgency to put their reflections out where they can be examined and grasped. The words carry much weight within their arrangements and much beauty in their cadence. Lauren K. Alleyne has stripped away the pretenses so often found in such collections and given readers the assignment to examine their own lives and find the essences of their souls.
November 16, 2014
These beautiful poems navigate what it means to be a woman in a violent world. They are lovely, while the world is not. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews