ON THE APPROACH OF MY 49th BIRTHDAY
As a young man
I allowed harvests of good fortune
to rot on my table.
Now, as an old man,
I find I have mislaid
the seeds.
& & & &
CUTTING SEASON
The people across the road have a racist
gardener. He rides around
on his mower
cursing at the Latinos
landscaping one lot over.
The Latinos laugh at him.
They know
hate
is just a weed
and no match for the blade.
& & & &
MIRACLE
My dear wife scratches
happy words into the peels
of green bananas:
JOY
FEEL
LOVE.
As each fruit ripens
the letters appear--
darkening like the nipples
of pregnant women.
I go to the store
buy my own banana
and carve FUCK
into its skin.
Then put it with
the others
silently awaiting
the miracle.

Especially delighted in MIRACLE.
Posted by: Jenna | August 24, 2011 at 07:52 PM
Thank you. I came up with that one when I was nearly asleep last night. Glad I ran downstairs and keyed it in.
Posted by: Charlie | August 24, 2011 at 09:05 PM
Glad you did! I find I loose poems if I don't rouse myself enough to write them.
Posted by: Jenna | August 26, 2011 at 08:49 AM
I like "darkening like the nipples/ of pregnant women." It's an image that marries "JOY / FEEL / LOVE" with "FUCK".
Posted by: Angela | September 14, 2011 at 12:39 AM