Grains Of Paradise Poem by Juan Olivarez

I've heard them called Grains Of Paradise,
These tiny nuclear spheres.
That bring flood waters from your eyes,
And smoke out of your ears.

Minute, like peas in a sea of green,
Ripening to a fiery red,
Being so tiny and yet so mean,
Truly atomic inside your head.

Yet Mockingbirds swallow them whole,
And never bat an eye.
They love them so, if truth be told,
Like you love apple pie.

But Mockingbirds don't ever chew,
They don't have any teeth I fear.
They start gobbling them up in the morning dew,
They are happy to swallow whole, and never shed a tear.

I heard them called so long ago,
The Grains Of Paradise.
Cause sometimes at night they'll make you glow,
And bring flood waters from your eyes.

8/7/14
ALTON TEXAS