You Can’t Eat A Mango Neatly

Under the giant at Latopa Road
Sun-filtered shadows
Massive
Resolute
Scimitar leaves
Cumulus heavy with sunrise orbs
Weak limbs that Samoan mothers teach their children not to climb

They gather beneath
Children, Walkers, Taxi-drivers.

Spy the mango
A challenging dangle dare-ya

Long stem
clipped with a well-placed stone’s throw
Drops with a thud
into cocktail puddles of fermenting fruit

Palm-fitting prize
Softball heavy
Smooth, draftsman curves
Ripe, soft touch yielding
Mouth-watering invite

Thin skin pierced
Narrow strips peeled
Like backs off decals
Golden flesh

Don’t wait
Drippy face-first gorging

Sticky
Tangy sweet
Explosive mouth-carnival
Gorge
Wear it
On your face

Suck away
until tooth-scraped clean
to the flat-oval core

Drop in the duff
with the others

Wipe hands on lavalava

Find a rock.
Repeat.