Expiration

Rotten English cucumber

beside a questionable carton of milk.

The tea kettle whistles

but the tea goes cold.

Chai only lasts seven days,

avocados even less.

The pumpkins are already sinking

they are unrecognizable now.

The mushrooms are wet,

the shelves are dusty again.

The gray comes and the soft goes

And the dog grows tired. 

The days roll towards death.

My death, your death, the cucumber’s death.