A free verse poem written in response to #FromOneLine 413 #prompt | I remember blueberries. Black text on white background:
I remember blueberries -
their acidic tartness on my tongue, you know
the kind that crinkles up the corners
of your eyes and scrunches
your nose. That swift, sharp edge; it even
tastes of indigo and holds hints of madness if you
eat overmuch on an empty stomach.
We were too poor to eat many of these
except when in season as the hot sun baked
our backs and cooked our tempers out there
on the barrens. How our greedy young fingers
snapped and snatched the berries like there was
no tomorrow. And we were taught there wasnโt one, so
why not go for the sweetest of hurts, this blue.
I remember blueberries โ and then, catching myself
once more, I recall all those who sneered and dismissed
our hand-me-downs, sniffed as if our poverty were contagious -
oh, everyone struggles; walk it off; pull on your bootstraps;
and look! arenโt there strawberries also to pick, letโs go. Not for us,
and we silently piled into the rusty Gran Torino station wagon to
head back home, any joy gathered that day lost in the dust.
#FromOneLine 413 #prompt | I remember blueberries
#poetry #freeverse
