Friends of Montclair Library

Not as Sweet
By Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte

This one is not as sweet
As the one before it
I was taken in by its good looks
The rich green color
The dark and perfect striping
I thumped it
Sniffed it
Weighed it in my hand
And then I took it home

With the first cut
The signs of heartbreak were there
Thick, tough and resistant to my instruments
It fought the quartering
Railed against separation from the rind
Exacted revenge by making me the fool
Tissue paper flesh should be discarded
But I am hungrily devoted
To the bland watery chunks
Tasteless and diluted as they may be
To partake is to be the same

Fighting the seduction of inviting aroma
And the whispers that outside pretty
Means the inside is just as
Because you know when they get together
They don’t always tell the truth

This one is not as sweet
As the one before it
And even knowing that
I sprinkle the sugar
And devour it anyway

Copyright © 2010 by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte