Parenting Is Bananas—This Fruit Poem Proves It!
- By Erin Mittelstaedt
- Reading Time: 2 mins.
In the last 24 hours of their spring break, my boys have played about a dozen board games, built a fort using every pillow and blanket in the house, discovered “Beatboxing Blueberry,” and put on a play about saving my life that involved jumping off of a bunkbed. (Yes, I’m tired. I’ve also laughed more in the last 24 hours than I sometimes do in a full week.)
Their silliness reminded me of one of the best fruit poems (aka froems) that our team has ever come up with. Credit for it goes to our brilliant Chicago production supervisor and super mom, Jeanette Mendez. She read it out loud at a meeting last spring and made us all crack up!
Good Seed, Bad Seed
By Jeanette Mendez
Oh how my lil’ ones love their tangerines,
It is one of their favorite snacks.
They tried a Pixie the other day, for the very first time.
They were so excited. They said it was wonderful,
The best they ever had.
They said it was so juicy and oh so sweet.
Yet I saw a lil’ sadness in my lil’ one’s eyes.
I thought to myself…
Maybe he is sad
that it is a bit strenuous for his lil’ fingers to flay.
“What’s wrong, lil’ one? Did you not enjoy our snack?”
“Oh Mom,” He replied, “Yes I did. It’s the best I’ve tried so far.”
“Then what’s wrong lil’ one? Why do you seem so disheartened?”
“Oh mom, I love my snack, but it’s missing the best part. I like the seeds, I need the seeds!”
Confused, I ask why that is.
And he mischievously replies:
“Oh, Mommy dear. I love the seeds.
Just please don’t be upset,
But I put them in sis’s hair.”
More Fruit Poem Fun
Today is the first day of National Poetry Month, so I hope this froem made you smile. If you’re in the mood for more poetic musings, you can read my brother Chris’s silly “Ode to the Satsuma” here and poems submitted to our 2023 fruit poem contest here.
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