basketball

i ate a basketball today.
the skin was firm and chewy
it hurt my teeth when i bit into it.
the rubber cold and warm at the same time
the orange part, bumpy and rough
the black stripes, smooth but tough
rubbing on my tongue
and pressing on parts of my mouth it probably shouldn’t.
you said it was sooooo good and i would love it
but i struggled even to choke it down
swallowing hard
and then you said the center was delicious—
like the inside of a milky way
sweet and dreamy
but when my teeth tore at the final layer of rubber
all that was in there
was air

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