How to Eat a Guava Found Poem

How to Eat a Guava by Esmeralda Santiago


A sour guava is green

As I bit into the green guava

I cringed

The inside of my mouth exploded in spurts of sour

I enjoyed the crunchy sound

The acid taste

The gritty texture

At night

Mother wanted me to drink castor oil

But she's an adult

I'm not

My last guava was large and juicy

Today, I stand before dark green guavas

Temptation filled me

But this autumn

I am no longer a child


Santiago, Esmeralda. How to Eat a Guava. Cambridge, MA - Da Capo Press - 2006