Each morning 
on the coffee line
I see the cake, doughnuts, and bagels, 
but I get the same –
large dark coffee and a banana.
I can’t see the bananas
‘til I’m in front
but I wonder what condition
they’ll be in today.
Overripe, green,
spots, soft, yellow, 
hard?

I expect the perfect banana.
I handle them, 
flip them, inspect them
(people don’t like this food handling).
I pick the best of the
pile. But
there is never a perfect banana.

For the first time, today, I
concluded that there is no
such thing as a perfect banana –
they all have imperfections.
Perhaps some have fleeting moments of
perfection followed by
brown spots –
but I know some people who like
bananas that are overly ripe –
so ripe you can smell them.
Sweet – not green like vegetables

Coffee is more dependable,
but that, too, is always either too hot or just
warm, or not as fresh as yesterday
– too strong or too weak.

I had a very good day today
after realizing that there are
no perfect bananas.