The birth of a Cocoa bean

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From pale green
(or red or purple) you turned
into sunshine signaling me
that you are in hurry to be picked
from the budded
befruited
standing scepter
of the forest.
Why hurry? You will be cut
in half, you football-shaped creature!
You will no longer remain you.
You will be your many soft white seeds
with smooth pulps bearing your sweetness
with tempered sourness.
Then, you will merely be scooped out right away.
(Children in the Philippines will gently suck you first, though).
For a week, your soft delicate seeds
will be fermented under the seething sun,
or on some days, in a dryer machine.
As if for you being picked is a happy occasion,
you ignore me then and now.
Mind you, Dear Cacao, you will be sun-dried for one more week
before your individual selves in the form of cocoa beans
will be shipped out of Ivory coast or Indonesia.  

Gerlie M. Uy Copyright 2015

*A poem inspired after reading Chocolat
Here's my review on the book itself. 
Location: Côte d'Ivoire

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