Bubble Wrapped StrawberriesI bought some long stemmed strawberries yesterday.
Enticing jewels with firm flesh
and GM (genetically modified) seeds poised with fresh vitality.
The price was reasonable too, I thought,....
Until I tallied the entire cost.
Just shipped in from Mexico
Perhaps from a hydroponic greenhouse
With horticultural feeding accuracy.
Perfect in presentation
They lay in a clear plastic container,
But, surprisingly, when I opened it and took one out
There was bubble wrap beneath
Taking up one third of the volume.
Ten berries in perfect harmony
Coddled, and prim
No imperfection to spoil
Our coddled expectations
And insensitivity to footprints
And other environmental costs
Of perfection -
From exotic global origins
They gaze
In season
In all four seasons
Of the year.
Tags: poetry, environment, food, green, global agriculture, buy local
