Artichoke season’s over
says my wife,
oranges are sour, lemons waxed, leeks poor
and potatoes are blighted I fear
the only eggplants I saw were scruffy
those starfruits I bought yesterday
have gone puffy
and the peas are so late this year
lady’s fingers and kohl-rabi are hard to find
chilli peppers are too dear
beetroot gives you a crimson stool
our urine stinks
when we eat asparagus spears
we can’t afford organic rambutans
now at last they’re here
and I’ve overcooked the corncobs.
Its the end of my career
I tell the silly old dear
there’s more
to this meloncauli life
than fruit and veg.