Bitter Fruit

Bitter Fruit

by Frank Delgado

Once there was a mother tree.

She looked on her fruits with pride and love.

The tree knew that the fruits were flesh of her flesh.

Through the years they wintered harsh weather together

Through the years , they bathe in the summer sun together

Then one year, one of those fruits fell ill and drop to the ground.

The tree saw it lying and dying on the ground.

She could not reach out to safe it

It died

The mother tree felt her pain in silence.

The fallen fruit rotted.

Out of the rot of the fallen fruit came worms , the flesh of its flesh.

Once the worms ate up all the rot

they sought shelter and food from the mother tree.

The mother tree felt compassion. These were all she had of her son.

The worms suckle her barks.

They drank of her sweet sap.

Then one of the other fruits became jealous.

She did not want to share her mother with the worms.

She wanted to protect her.

She release bitters into the veins of tree to chase away the worms.

The worms would not eat of the bitter.

The mother tree tried to shelter the worms from the daughter's anger.

She gave the worms sweet sap from a hidden branch.

The daughter infuriated released more toxins, blinded by her jealousy.

The mother tree grew weak and started dying

The other fruits pleased with the daughter to stop.

In her rage she send more lethal toxin determine to save her mother from the worms

Determine to kill those worms.

The other fruits became ill from the toxins.

The mother tree died.

The fruits died.

And the worms went away looking for a new tree.