Ode to A Pineapple

Dusty roadside
Throngs of people passing by

I sit content
Voraciously consuming
This Cadbury milk chocolate bar with raisins

I rest in this blue fiat
Broke down with one tire gone flat
Yet I’m quite happy
On this Tuesday afternoon

And just ahead
Men chew on their sugarcane

And babies rest in comfort
Slung across the sturdy backs of their mothers

Secured by bright chitenges
Elephants, zebras, oranges and blues
The deepest of hues

Men walk by, making attempts to chat
In sheer wonder of my flat
Wearing green suits
That read “Pest Control”

But I sit content
Knowing the I’ve spent
My money on this chocolate candy bar
That’s now halfway devoured

And a man approaches me from a distant stand
Two pineapples in hand
Vibrant greens with a caramel body
Their sweet smells delighting my senses

No for now, Mr. Pineapple Man
And I carry on
Eating the Cadbury bar, enjoying the raisins
Enthralled by the crowds

So he walks away, the pineapple man

And the bustling market
Rages on
This man selling sea foam green trousers
That one selling fluorescent orange soap
Yet another one selling boxed perfumes

I’m still lost in my world of chocolate
Enjoying the moment

And the pineapple man
Approaches again

This time,
Willing to cut me a deal
That I now simply must seal --
40 kwachas for one pineapple

With my pineapple in hand
I feel lucky to be in this land
The land of Malawi

With bustling markets
People of colors so vibrant
Smiles so true
Plates of sima, curry and greens
Beats so light and free

And 40-kwacha pineapples!