The Forgotten Fruit
by Olivia Pirie, Mount Evelyn Christian School
Years 9 – 10 Written Poetry Finalist
The wilted skin emits the stench
Of friendships broken,
Families torn.
The pasty flesh is pock marked,
Each scar a symbol of wars long won,
Or lost.
To the untrained eye this small piece of forgotten fruit looks like a heart that is bruised and scarred.
But to those who weather the smell,
They will find that through the haze,
The mold,
The muck,
And the pain that overwhelms everything and everyone.
There is a person,
Who, despite the odds, is still standing.
They will find someone who is worth the effort
To shove, and wade through the layers of self-defense.
Someone who is filled with joy,
No matter the circumstance,
No matter the hurt.
And this person, who is hidden away inside a shell,
Is more beautiful than you or I could ever be.
For they are stronger,
Braver,
And even though they were,
Squashed,
Dropped,
Forgotten.
They are still hopeful,
Still kind,
And still full of love.