An Acquired Taste
No florescent linoleum walkways and rows
No marketplace to influence decision.
Wandering, hungry, seeking shade,
I plucked a paw-paw from the paw-paw tree.
I chose which one seemed ready made,
But I was wrong.
No light to spoil the fruits repose
No spots to mar its perfect skin,
The smoothest one, green, brightest, taut,
I plucked a paw-paw from the paw-paw tree.
The only one I wanted was one only I would want.
It was a new thing.
No recipe or menu to describe the food
No tools to use to prepare for it,
Sustenance in the wilderness
I plucked a paw-paw from the paw-paw tree.
I savored the first bite’s bitterness
I never knew better
No one told me which was good
No one there to share my dinner with.
Tangible, edible, so I ate.
I plucked a paw-paw from the paw-paw tree.
It left me in an undesirable state
I was ill.
No ripe fruit had ever left that tree.
No ripe fruit would, till I came back
Later, wiser, considerate.
I plucked a paw-paw from the paw-paw tree.
The choice I made had been deliberate
But I was right.