...
when i was younger,
(arguably more so than i am now)
i hopped, bank
to slippery bank
to wade up to my knees in river water
and steal crab apples from
the tree of my grandmother’s neighbor. and
before that, i plucked ripe satsumas from the
green-stemmed tower in my aunt’s yard.
everyday, i grow younger than i am now
and
i often indulge in picking fruit: gooseberries pierce
and split the very tip of my tongue on the daily. this
is why i say i grow younger;
though my red lips are
puckered by sour fruit, my fingers do not cease
to pluck. i consider myself lucky, for not many grasp
the footing to plant themselves on wet riverbanks
or the gall to compromise
the safety of their tender tongues in
search for sweet berries.
...
Sia Moon is a young New Orleans-based writer and poet of Black and Buryat descent. Her work has been featured in the Riverbend Review, the Eunoia Review, and Chewers. Her poetry has won a Scholastic Gold Key.
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