No 1: SUMMER FRUIT

IMAGE BY MIA FOSTER

MIA FOSTER

The first berries of summer have left the shelves 

I cannot find them in my over crowded fridge 

They are in a long gone shortcake eaten with delicate cream and crumbly biscuits

On a porch where the mosquitoes bothered us 

And the heat of the day had made the air so clear 

You could see everything in finite detail 

The ones which my mother picked from our front yard

The delicate cartoon-cute strawberries 

The few which sprouted 

Have been enjoyed and savored

Even sweeter because they appeared as a gift from the earth 

Making me feel extra special on the receiving end 

The box which we ate on the beach 

When i forgot my hat 

And my face burned 

And i sweat while reading until finally i needed to swim 

And then lay exhausted from the velocity of the ocean 

Eating strawberries 

Slightly warmed by the sun 

nothing tasted better

The ones i stood and ate 

To catch the cool wind off the refrigerator 

Eating as many as i could without letting all the heat rush in 

The steady warmth of spring gives birth to the berries 

it starts something sweet 

And undoubtedly summery 

now summer itself 

is off the shelves 

And the cherries and berries have replaced her place in the market rotation 

And for this i know that the season has spun to a close

The way it felt when i had to close the fridge 

Or scrape the plate of crumbs, cream, and syrup

Or discard of the hat like tops, green and bitter 

Still, all the memories of strawberries and sun remain