The prompt was "What memory compelled them to give special thanks for the fruit?" I took it in a different direction.
[Memory,
A tricky thing.
You think you remember,
And then someone who was there
Tells a different story
Or says they don't remember that at all.]
He's allergic to strawberries.
It's not something he announces,
He just never eats them.
His mother told him
How when he was a child
he broke out in hives
after eating strawberries.
He asked his dad about the story
His dad said he didn't remember much about it,
because his mother handled it.
As for him,
He looks at strawberries
and tries to remember
but can't.
He ate them once as an adult
just to see what would happen
He got a little itchy
but no welts.
He looks at the menu
Fresh fruit with breakfast would be nice
So he asks the waitress about strawberries
says he's allergic.
They could probably create a bowl without berries
if he'd like to try it.
As he says yes,
He wonders,
Did he really break out in hives?
Has he ever broken out in hives?
Does he know what hives look like?
Did his mother exaggerate what happened?
Maybe he just didn't like the taste
and made a face
or scratched his arms or belly.
He'll never know.
Until she was no longer able to speak,
If he asked
She insisted
He was allergic to strawberries.
She remembered,
She loved him,
And that was all that mattered.
