Apples

Ma’s apple blossoms

have turned to hard green balls.

To eat them now,

so tart,

would turn my mouth inside out,

would make my stomach groan.

But in just a couple months,

after the baby is born,

those apples will be ready

and we’ll make pies

and sauce

and pudding

and dumplings

and cake

and cobbler

and have just plain apples to take to school

and slice with my pocket knife

and eat one juicy piece at a time

until my mouth is clean

and fresh

and my breath is nothing but apple.

June 1934