I am a lemon
a fresh new lemon picked from
a tree
but the thing is
I was picked too early
I was picked before my skin turned yellow
before my shell stopped being white
I am a lemon
a lemon ready to be juiced
but I have already
had every last drop
squeezed out
I am a lemon
that’s juice
is not even remotely sweet
so you have to empty out
your remaining sugar
into a pitcher
and find my once bitterness
gave you type 2
diabetes
I am a lemon
that is perched on the side
of your margarita
but I fell in
and sank to the bottom
of the glass
and made your drink
impossible to sip
and savor
because
I am a lemon
and I am too strong
to be dealt with
and too weak to be forgotten
and too bitter to carry on.