fruity ennui by Alex Baskin after Joe Brainard Rarely apple, I am usually orange of unknown provenance. Sometimes rotten muck seeps to my core, and sometimes everything in the world was created for me. Melancholy seems conceivably cantaloupe-related. I am mystery pear, so crisp and underrated—beware. Why do my eyes itch at night? Oh internet, you unpeel the answer: They’ve itched all day—I just didn’t stop and notice. Tell me about your seeds and pits, your thin skin. Don’t overthink it, oh juicy friend, oh boundless banana. You know more than you know.
First published in gather lit mag, March 2026.
Peachy!🥰