Day Five of NaPoWriMo is almost over so I’m glad my mind was clear enough today to think of something decent to write about. I’m not sure why, but a woman from a world ago popped into my thoughts and told me a story about a fruit man that she saw every day. I hope I captured her experience properly. Maybe she’ll visit me again one day and tell me more.
For now, enjoy…
The guy who runs the fruit cart has a crush on me
He can see me coming when I’m blocks away
When I am midway to him I see how he gathers the best pickings just for me
I get the same thing every day
An apple, an orange, two bananas and 10 green grapes
I walk slowly to him
I love seeing the effort he puts in just to please me
So I gift him with the delayed gratification of me
I still shine after all of these years
I know he’s watching the vibration of my hips
I’ve always had a slight hitch when I walk
Not sure where it came from, but it’s dazzled a few
I don’t see the big deal, but we like what we like
Walking to get this fruit is the highlight of my day
I dream about it and it gives me the fuel I need to stay here
I once had someone in my life that loved me like this fruit man
He arranged the breakfast table with just as much care
I liked my silverware just so, my coffee cup just so and he catered to my wishes
He leaned in on me when we talked so that I could only focus in on him
He loved me like water loves riverbanks and like the sun loves weeds cracking through sidewalks
When I reach the fruit man he has my breakfast, lunch, dinner and my snack ready
He places the orange and the apple together in a separate bag away from the bananas and grapes just like I like it
He lingers on my fractured smile getting what he needs from me
My mouth is worn and my teeth have traveled, but my eyes are still like an emerald jewel — A gift from my father
My eyes are what get me this fruit everyday – they plead innocently or naughtily
I have no currency
No home
Everything lost due to relationship downsizing
My love died and I let grief be my matchmaker
They weren’t worthy of me
But my guilt about my love overpowered my senses
Now I am left with a long walk
To a kind man
Who gives me my daily bread
I am thankful for his grace, infatuation and generosity
He is my cornucopia
© 2016, TamekaMullins. All rights reserved.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This is phenomenal. So many jewels within this poem. “…my teeth have traveled…:” Love it! I think you captured her story very well. I hope she does come back to tell you more.
I really enjoyed writing this. It flowed a lot better than my other poems have this week. Lol. I hope so too. I’m interested to hear more about her life and whether she and the fruit man get closer. Thanks for visiting! 🙂