Cherry
       

Slang, as in: he took, he stole, she lost.
(Despite his seed, no mention of his fruit).
He triumphs after their riposte,
but her possession suffers an acute
loss of value, as a pear unpeeled
is undesired once its sugar browns;
or ajar, hermetically unsealed,
contents now suspicious. Like gowns
purchased for prom, the cherry cannot be
returned, or worn again; consigned
to swing, closeted in memory:
abandoned, but not fully left behind.
And yet: cherries come from trees. The pit
is also seed—beginning once it's bit.

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Copyright © 2018 Elisabeth Meyer All rights reserved
from The Word B-I-R-D
No Chair Press
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission