Simona Terron - Apple Pi

The shiny apple does a little twirl
Gleaming, delicious, before my eyes
And I salivate, reflexively,
Already tasting the sweetness of the juice
Trickling down my chin
And feeling the resistance of the crunch
Between my teeth

How tempting to think I can take
A bite, just a small wee one
Before I place it back on the table,
The exposed flesh hidden from view
Of passers-by

But I’ve been brought up Catholic
And so I resist,
The effort bringing tears to my eyes
And instead all I leave with
Is a taste of bitter regret and envy
In my mouth

I thought I was well fed, filled
With the nutrition of sensible needs met by sensible sustenance;
My family, my job, my friends, my cats…
So is this truly hunger gnawing at my heart?
Or just greed for something
Everyone else seems to have?

I am whole, I tell myself
And proceed with other goals
But that apple stays in my mind,
And I still carry it wherever I go.

(Mumbai, Sun n Sand Hotel, June 11,2006)

Simona Terron

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/apple-pi/