The Afternoon When Nothing Was a Metaphor

 

We are walking through a yellow field open to the blue sky

You are chewing one of those long bits of grass

I am eating a banana

Loving the now-ness of the moment

Trying to remember if banana peel is bio-degradable

There are cows across the field but I reckon they are

Too far away to chase me and kill me

I tell you this and you laugh, as if I’m being droll

And not actually genuinely terrified of cows

I mean, banana skins must be OK to throw away, right?

They’re nature

But… is it because they’re from abroad, 

And maybe English soil is weirdly racist?

The tall grass brushes our hands

You are being light and funny and your smile

Looks good in the sun

We have no particular destination

I decide to throw the banana peel away

It arcs into the grass and disappears

You tell me that it won’t rot properly

I say, it will, probably

You say it’s litter

I say, where is it then?

You can’t find it

I think it’s only litter if you can find it

The cows are closer than they were

I close my eyes and enjoy the warmth of the sun

On my face

And the feel of your fingers brushing against mine