The sweet smell of ripening fruit,
the first taste, tangy on the tongue,
the joy of the second bite
the juice running down my chin.

Each mouthful delicious, delectable,
an early summer pleasure,
Crop it down to the seed and suck a little,
then pitch the seed away.

The aftertaste remains —
tempting, alluring.
Should I eat another?
Give in to desire
before my siblings discover
and accuse me of greed.

Later in life I will understand the message
in the myth, the Garden of Eden.
And learn the Buddhist law of nature —
‘Suffering arises from craving.’