Bluffton University

Fig Juice

by Mercury-Marvin Sunderland

fig juice
drips down your chin
red encased in green
has always been growing
just
out of
reach

you were not raised
on fig newtons
a processed mash
found easily in stores

lonely tree
bears plump fruit
in a grassy yard

scrawny
has it grown
in such a harsh environment
only now
is it learning how to grow

fig juice
stains your lips
a sweet joy
not easy to find.

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Mercury-Marvin Sunderland

Mercury-Marvin Sunderland (he/him) is a transgender autistic gay man with borderline personality disorder. He’s from Seattle and currently attends the Evergreen State College. He’s been published by University of Amsterdam’s Writer’s Block, UC Riverside’s Santa Ana River Review, UC Santa Barbara’s Spectrum. He’s @Romangodmercury on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.