It's summertime, so here are some lemon haikus to "spritz" up your day!

"A Zest for Life"

Breathe the citrus scent

Taste its dance on your tongue

Bring me back again

"Slice of Prism"

Glowing yellow orbs

A burst of fertility

Birthed from its strong roots

"Lost Treasure"

Exotic color

Lured in to taste its glory

Just a bitter trap

I wrote these haikus as part of an exercise I took part in last fall. In this exercise, I was given a plastic knife and a lemon. We were only given one task: to cut up the lemon as we pleased. This may sound a bit morbid, but hear me out. The purpose of this exercise was to use our senses and describe how the characteristics of the lemon made us feel.

As I dissected this lemon, I kept thinking back to the summers where I would quench my thirst with freshly squeezed lemonade. I also thought about the scent of my father's hands when he was seasoning something in the kitchen. He would always make sure that his hands were washed with lemon juice, so that flavor could infuse into the spices that were rubbed into the meats he would prepare for dinner.

This exercise not only made me aware of my senses, but it also allowed me to reminisce about the good memories I had forgotten about. It's amazing how one object can help you remember so much, even after it's been manipulated a couple of times. I was taught a lesson that day. I literally should "go out and smell the roses" because there is so much going on around us, and we do not even realize it ourselves sometimes. I highly suggest that you do the same. I'm sure something interesting will come out of it.

Oh, and also, always remember to "squeeze" the day!