Java Plum’s Song

“You carry them in,

I’m here to give;

enough is given,

still more remain;

the tree is full.

Spread out the cloth

where shingles are,

the fruit is ripe

and tender.

Black is the skin

easily bruised,

don’t you touch it

or your hand will stain.

Keep it away

from your tongue.

It’s not yours

or not yours yet

till the last has fallen.

Where I fall I grow.

Give me mud,

a sprinkle of ash,

and I come to life.

All leaf, I’m

the fruit that falls

one at a time

on soft earth.

I’m all trunk.”