The Traveling Onion

The first time reading through, The Traveling Onion, I was not very impressed. Why would someone take the time to write a poem about an onion? It just did not make any sense to me. But after reading it a second time I began to realize that there was a much deeper meaning behind the poem. The onion has been through so much, traveling from Egypt to Greece, on to Italy, all of Europe, and to my cutting board. Upon reaching the cutting board it will simply be cut up as an after thought and thrown into the pot. This tiny onion carries so many flavors and yet no one thinks of it. The author Naomi Shihab Nye says, “… for the sake of others, disappear.” She is talking about how the onion just disappears into the pot and no one comments on the “translucence of onion.” It is forgotten.

How easy is it to overlook the small things that people do? So often in life people go behind the scenes and work so hard for the sake of others without ever being complimented or appreciated.

There were a few lines in the poem that I really liked. The author writes, “and I would never scold the onion for causing tears. It is right that tears fall for something small and forgotten.” I think that is just such a beautiful line and it really moved me. There is so much forgotten beauty in the small things of life and if we take the time to appreciate those things we will have a more fulfilling existence.