(It is believed that the onion originally came from India, thence to Egypt, on to Greece and all of Europe.)
Since this is about a figurative onion, it will proceed without tears:
THE TRAVELING ONION
“When I think how far the onion has traveled
just to enter my stew today, I could kneel and praise
all small forgotten miracles,
crackly paper peeling on the drainboard,
pearly layers in smooth agreement,
the way knife enters onion
and onion falls apart on the chopping block
a history revealed.
And I could never scold the onion
for causing tears.
It is right that tears fall
for something small and forgotten.
How at meal, we sit to eat,
commenting on texture of meat or herbal aroma,
but never on the translucence of onion,
now limp, now divided,
or its traditionally honorable career:
For the sake of others,
disappear.”
……………….NAOMI SHIHAB NYE
Words creating pictures of impermanent perfection. I love them:
pearly layers, … translucence, …crackly paper peeling.
Such delight combined with the memory of ‘something small and
forgotten’ lingers and will return with tears the next time I prepare
an onion for its invisible destination, soup or stew.
with love, Mom/Mimi/Toni/Antoinette