To The Editor Poem by RIC BASTASA

after the lightning and thunder last night
the mushrooms begin to grow
under the banana shrubs
on those wet fields

you will see all of them
as i see them
and i will bring a basket to gather all of them
to offer to you

i trust you to choose the edible ones
the ones that we feed to those who are hungry
i trust you to throw away all the poisonous ones
outside the kitchen

but then i will go out again amidst the rain
and even deep in the night
to collect those that you throw away

i will look at them again
bring them in my room and try to see why
their lives are too short