some may call you banal,
preferring
the citron, kiwi, or
even durian (gasp).

but not i.

some might refuse
to eat you
and pay
ridiculous prices
for watery
out of season strawberries
wrapped in cellophane.

but not i.

some might forget about
you, come summer
with it's
sexy berries
and cherries,
peaches and melon.

but not i.

you are my favorite,
orange.

you get me through
the winter.

i will even endure the
strange looks
of the fruit vendor, wondering
why i am buying so
many tarocchi
each day.

for you,
i will do all of that, and more.

because you,
orange--
you and your cousins,
those little kishu tangerines,
those kara clemintines that you can just
pop in your mouth--

you are so good
to me.

i peel away your blushing
skin
and what lies
beneath,
all of those perfect,
bite-sized segments,
so free of seeds,
so tart
so sweet,
makes me want to cry.

orange, without you
i would be nothing.
to me, you are everything.

thank you.