forbidden fruit

when I was five I had my very own forbidden fruit
.strawberries. and whenever I ate them I became terribly ill
in my little tummy tummy

but they were so juicy
and red
the little seeds tantalized me
like my very own little mr snake
they said

‘eat us brandy
on sundaes, in smoothies
or (favorite) naked dunked in sugar’
I was defenseless to their advances.

I lunged at them, chewed them through
my little girl lips covered in sugar and
strawberry syrup

‘I hope you are proud of yourself’
my mother said
‘you’ll be sick as a fish’

and I was
though I’d rather be litith than eve.