Zest

By Reagan Lichtenwalter

Everybody knows 

The best way to peel an orange 

Is with your nails and 

The best way to eat the world 

Is raw. 

The summer’s swelter ripens 

Those fuzzy Georgia peaches, 

All sticky sunrise skin 

And citrus-flavored fleetness. 

We’re all rotten by the dawn, 

So sink your teeth 

Into something sweet. 

Anything worth eating 

Is worth a couple cavities. 

I take my orange juice 

With the pulp 

And my sorrow 

With the zest. 

I passed back to life 

Some lemon rinds 

And made do with 

What was left. 

Any fruit worth eating 

Is worth sharing all the rest. 

Any life worth living 

Is worth undoing at the seams 

Like stripping back an orange 

To the slices underneath 

Because, as everybody knows, 

The best time to eat your heart 

Is when it’s sugar-coated sweet. 

About the Author...

Reagan Lichtenwalter is a high school junior from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She has been writing poetry since the 5th grade and has been heavily involved with her local writing community for several years. She is a frequent reader at "Poetry in the Boro", a local open mic hosted by MTSU Write. Additionally, she was the founder and president of the Poetry Club at Central Magnet Middle and High School. When she isn't writing, Reagan enjoys reading horror stories, playing the bass guitar, and hosting a Dungeons and Dragons game at her local library.

About the Artist...

Moss Edwards is a 12th grade visual artist at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Their work includes scenes from their own life, incorporating exaggerated colors, lighting, and elements to create a new world. They enjoy experimenting with mediums including cardboard, oil pastels, and colored pencils to create more texture.