With Great Fanfare I Present You the Key to the City and This Is What Happens by Amorak Huey

"like all cities it evolved over the ages."

With Great Fanfare I Present You the Key to the City and This Is What Happens
by Amorak Huey

apparently my body is a city
like all cities it was once new and small and made sense
like all cities it evolved over the ages

sprawl and addition
accumulation of choices that made sense at the time

a history’s worth of whispers

deep inside the city are cobblestones
archways
narrow alleys
I’m difficult to navigate

yet you stride with great confidence  
as though you’ve been here before
know exactly where you’re going

at the center of the city a park
in that greenspace a tree
ancient black trunk
spider-limb and silhouette

the tree bears a single piece of ripe fruit
the fruit is my heart

do not pick it I say
but you say picking fruit keeps the tree healthy

you slice it into thirds
drizzle each slice with honey

one for the birds you say

one for you to carry on your journey home

you hand the last slice to me
say eat and I do

★ First published in ONLY POEMS ★