My Presentation

All I did
was touch
the reddening tomato on the vine
and it fell
into my hand

I took it inside and washed it off
Sliced it thin
and ate it like that
just this side of ripe but still
first fruit of the summer good
I thanked the garden for providing
it to me

and then stopped

It still had a day or two to go
I robbed the plant
of its fullness

What if another had come by
one with more need
than I

What if its destiny
was to fall and re-seed
for another season

I assume so much
of the world
for I am American

from the land of no obligations
beyond the ones
we have for ourselves
We ride rough here
and alone
Take what we want 
Slogan our way forward

It’s my right
and no one can take it from me
I am owed this
and no one can take it from me
Kind words
are for others to speak
and no one
can force them from me
The world owes me its fruits

All I did was touch
the tomato on the vine
and it fell into my hand

Any pressure I put upon it
was unconscious and innate

Something in my presentation
keeps me dangerous
to everything that grows

Something I’ve learned
to use without thought

Something I trust 
I can unlearn
in spite of the fact

that the tomato was delicious