Fruit Vendors (Matters Of Trust)

a man with a cart of oranges on the side of the road

sells them with acclaim for their juice

sweet citrus that excites the tongue

for a moment of pleasure

i trustingly pay him with change from my pocket

and at first bite i know

that the product

lives up to his claims

another man in a room with his name on the door

framed papers verifying his

knowledge of all things fruit

sells blends of various concentrates

perfected recipes of long study

he attests will sweeten the very day

sharpen the ordinary mind

in marvelous ways

i decide not to buy

having not the means in my pocket

and an overwhelming suspicion that

he is full of shit