"Life is short, but she is wide."

~Italian proverb

She's a big apple
There's more
than you can ever know
absorbing second hand
the smooth coolness
of her skin
the sweet-tart crispness
of her flesh
the way the stem dries
and sends the remaining life
back into the fruit

There is so much more
than what you can see
through your filmy windows
The orchard is a blur
of red, green and yellow
Yet inside those juicy orbs
are cells within a cell
within a larger sphere
of air and time
I go there and breathe
the fragrance of the sun

Your roots are dry
they've separated from earth
dying from poison springs
yet you continue to drink
thinking they quench your thirst
First take a bite into life
then you'll know the differance
between
sweetwater and a tainted well
I go to pick fruit
The worms are there
to remind me that there is life
beyond my own

(c) Linda Gayton 2006