The Seduction of the Strawberry

some would call your thin complexion
one that causes much rejection
just one taste of your confection
what a tramp

oh the bliss when you are plump
slowly ripening on your stump
my mouth craving every bump
you're a tease

preparation without damage
dainty slices that I ravage
eat you whole just like a savage
now you're gone



Here in the valley, we have many environmental signs that blatantly tell us the time of year. Besides the distinct weather changes, the surrounding orchards take on a personality all of their own. The recent burst of blooms and bees welcomed in the spring. Rows upon rows of fruit and nut trees, look like finely dressed ladies, primly gossipping to catch up after winters long sleep. But, there is nothing like the anticipation of the strawberry. The roadside fruit stands all open up and try to tease us with early picking, but they lack the pungent smell and sweet taste that patience and waiting rewards. I see the green carts bursting with the brilliance of red, but I already know the disappointment I will feel biting into the premature fruit and so, I wait. Just about now, the red color changes its hue. It deepens and like a siren, calls out to the ones who have driven past her yesterday, we all know who we are. So, we stop and spend the best $12 dollars money can buy, as we carefully choose our half flats. We eat at least 2 in the car driving home, that decadent reward for being patient, making noises that are only appropriate for the things we crave...and then, a bowl full at the dinner table that night. Everyone sits down and our eyes are drawn to their magnificent color and without saying a word we all know that summer is just around the corner.