ode to a half-eaten peach (m)

Note: Written on my order-pad at work. Waitressing at a restaurant serving (and discarding) delicious sushi during Ramadan has given me a whole new appreciation for leftovers…

ode to a half-eaten peach

to the twice-bit
plumpripejuicy
unwanted
discarded peach
lying by a dumpster

to the dish of rice-
filled, half-finished
soy sauce
I carry you longingly
how I long for your succulent flesh
to delight in each bite
of your sweetness

to the warm wasabi-
coated leftover sushi
to the remnants and morsels
to the whole
perfectly good pieces
that I bring to the
dishwasher

to the heady crumbs
the delicious drops
the wasted wonder

I wonder:
why haven’t I seen you before?

to lumps and bumps and
piles of golden
delicious unwanted food
in trash cans everywhere

like a dumbstruck lover
I wonder:
where were you all my life?
how did you pass me by?
how did i pass you up?
reject you
betray you, discard you
blind to your beauty

I want you now
I know you
your tantalizing scent
your juicy freshness

I love you now, my half-eaten
side-of-the-road peach