I sit in a fruit bowl

I wait for you to taste me

I’m round

I’m red

I’m shiny

So, of course, I think I’m tasty

I’m crisp, juicy, and tart

Mushy I am not

So it bothered me last week

When you made a face at my brown spot

You know,

I’ve been wondering lately

Trying to figure out just how it could be

That I taste perfectly fine

But you just will not eat me

You throw me in your trash

You think One fruit won’t be of harm

You forget all the methane I’ll release

The goods wasted on me at the farm

You act like I’ll do nothing

It’s just one fruit, you think

But one plus one plus one

Can become millions in a blink

You know,

I’ve been wondering lately

Trying to figure out just how it could be

That thrown out, I’ll hurt the Earth

But you refuse to eat me

Last night I had a dream

People turned off unused taps

No one had overfull fridges

Or were throwing out lots of scraps

The atmosphere was cool

Earth was regarded highly

And all of the world’s animals

Were content, safe, and lively

The humans were considerate

Made sure Earth was okay

Not heated up by gasses

But just by night and day

That world is what I strive for

Because until the day

That this ideal is reached

Wildlife will die away

Floods and droughts will kill

Wildfire will creep

To every city, every village

The effects will seep

And so I fight

Every day

For it can’t be erased

The death

Carnage

Destruction

Caused by our food waste.