[for Reed]
When the woman in the parable runs
from the tigers to the cliff-edge she is
simply jumping toward the saving
vine. Only later does she notice
the strawberries.
When my twin brother hands me
a ripe strawberry in California
he wants me to admire every bit
of its sweetness before tossing it
tongue-ward, which he knows
I will not do, & that is why he is
already disappointed. In the letter
he writes weeks later he says
he knew I'd just pop it, whole,
into my mouth without even
thinking about it, juice
dripping down my chin.
Which is what she does
in the parable when she knows
she's going to die: tigers
on the cliff-edge, tigers
on the ground, & a mouse
eating through the stem
of the vine.
What should she do but reach
for the ripest strawberry
she can find?
He wants me
to linger. I can
already taste it.