Lemons

there was a slice of lemon in the glass

i ate it whole
not picking out the good bits
as i used to

it was sour in my mouth -
the flesh, the zest and pith combined

but after eating it
the sensation of lemon stayed with me
vibrant and shimmering

like i had briefly become a lemon

they say there are 3 poisons in this life:
craving, aversion and ignorance
like flesh and zest and pith

i took a bite of life
and tasted all at once

and it was sour in my mouth,
but after eating it
the sensation of life stayed with me
vibrant and shimmering

life gave me a lemon

but i didn’t make lemonade
because the lemon was too fresh
and smelled too good

life gave me a lemon
and i ate it