Life in the Time of Corona Detail for Emerald Coast Writers

Eating the Mango

Lori Zavada

sdf

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.

Life in the Time of Corona

Within weeks after March 11, 2020 World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, West Florida Literary Federation offered its writers a catharsis. By April, regional writers were submitting words and images to preserve this time in history. The ongoing project began with Phase I, a special edition of The Legend published in May. It featured more than thirty juried submissions. Life in the Time of Corona continues with Phase II, updated as submissions are accepted. Here are the voices of health care workers, poets, essayists, historians, and the images of artists and photographers, documenting this time in Northwest Florida's history. The ongoing project ends with the advent of a vaccine or declaration by the World Health Organization.

Life in the Time of Corona Detail for Emerald Coast Writers

Eating the Mango

Eating the Mango

Life in the Time of Corona

CONTENTS

Photo Essay

Prose

Poetry

Short Fiction

The Legend