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Buy a Papaya

The risk of trying something new

By Leslie WritesPublished about a year ago 1 min read
9
Buy a Papaya
Photo by Ashleigh Shea on Unsplash

We bought a papaya

My kid just had to try ya

We spotted you in the fluorescent light

But how do we tell which color is right?

You were mostly yellow

Google said that’s how you tell-o

You were six dollars, a hefty price

I hoped at least your flavor’d be nice

We took you home and waited

Until the initial excitement abated

We were overdue to try this

So I sliced along the bias

Your flesh was slimy orange

With seeds like black porridge

You smelled like wet Schnauzer

She wanted some and I allowed her

I had some too in solidarity

Winced and mumbled incoherently

You tasted like burnt hair

We gagged - “This isn’t fair!”

I ran to the sink and spit you out

For this new fruit I had my doubt

I don’t get the hype

Perhaps you weren't ripe

performance poetrychildrens poetry
9

About the Creator

Leslie Writes

Another struggling millennial. Writing is my creative outlet and stress reliever.

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

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Comments (8)

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  • Stephanie J. Bradberry10 months ago

    There was nothing wrong with your papaya. Some people register the smell and taste as "literal garbage." I only know this from experience and looking it up. Out of 5 people trying fresh papaya, myself included, three of us thought it smelled and tasted horrific. Two thought it was totally fine. I was surprised I didn't like it since I've had papaya before, but as part of fruit salad. But research shows that some people just register the smell and taste differently. It's like how some people think cilantro tastes like soap.

  • C. H. Richardabout a year ago

    Love papaya juice but still up in the air about biting into one. I think I'll wait awhile now - lol 😊

  • Lol, either that was a bad papaya or it was unripe. Because ripe papayas are sweet and taste really good. But they get kinda mushy when they're ripe and I don't like that texture. I love how this experience inspired a poem! I loved it!

  • Babs Iversonabout a year ago

    Fantastic poem!!!💖💖💕 Pineapple & papaya chunks makes a refreshing breakfast. Recalling my days on Oahu, Hawaii, I could eat it back then. Because of my diet restrictions, I can no longer eat my tropical breakfast.

  • Lol 😆📝I love this piece and Yea every fruit is not For me...❤️😉

  • Cathy holmesabout a year ago

    Haha. I don't think I've ever tasted papaya, and now I know I don't want to. This is a great poem. Lol

  • Kendall Defoe about a year ago

    Papaya? I did try ya. Blah. 😎

  • Donna Reneeabout a year ago

    This is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣 I love it!

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