PANAMA

By Terese White

The staring woman said “hello”

And I promptly but violently

Laid my stomach across her

Gnarled brown shoes.

In a mixture of tangerine

And translucent quintessence

I saw where the problem lay.

Not until I live in an ideal world

Will I indulge in an ideal diet,

So the problem remained unshifted

As did the woman's frowning grimace.

Collecting my cultural baggage

And my wit,

I left my stomach and

A little of my pride

And proceeded onwards.

Problematic gutters sidled up to

My knees in my hopeless attempt

To avoid them.

My directional balance was

Applause worthy really

And I found my nose revelling in

The smell of home

The smell of bananas

The smell of panama

#darkpoetsclub