by Mary Saracino
The TV news guy said watermelons
were rising, spontaneously, from the watery
wasteland of the 9th Ward wilds. Seeds scattered
by Katrina had taken root in the fetid stew.
Faster than government aid, the melons' bloated bellies
were ready for the picking. "Just don't eat 'em,"
the TV guy warned. Every juicy mouthful
brimming with E. coli. Sweeter than a bite
of FEMA Brownie. Oh, parish the thought.
Mary Saracino is a novelist, memoir writer and poet who lives in Denver, CO. Her newest novel, The Singing of Swans, is to be published in 2006 by Pearlsong Press.