Life in the Time of Corona
Eating the Mango
Lori Zavada
Lori Zavada is a writer for a local behavioral health organization and a graduate of the University of West Florida. Her work has been featured in Pensacola News Journal and USA Today. Her stories are published in the Emerald Coast Review, Tallahassee Family and Bella magazine.
Before you go,
Give in to Coronavirus,
Give in to Racism,
Give in to Politics,
Give in to Broken parents,
Smoke at least one cigarette,
Become a vegan,
Euthanize a dying pet,
Help an old person,
Buy a house,
Say you’re sorry,
Enjoy sunrise alone,
Divorce an abuser,
Then,
Go to the market and find the ripest mango,
The one with the magenta and green cover,
Squeeze it and let its thick rind spring back against your fingertips,
That’s the one,
Go home and slice off its skin,
Peel it into juicy slivers,
Gently place its sweet, slimy body in your mouth,
Suck the nectar,
Chew its fiber,
Travel to the remote farm from where a migrant worker plunked the fruit down into a bucket,
Sent it on its way to the market where you met,
And when life is finished speaking,
And the stars come out,
Surrender to this moment,
Enjoy eating the mango.