98poems/peeling

Peeling peaches I remember my father,
the way he said to hold the peach
under the tap.
I was forty then and didn’t know.
Where was I when he gave
this lesson the first time?
The truth is he hadn’t
given it before then.
They did not teach me things,
but just expected me to know.
So that my ignorance
always met with criticism,
whose only lesson
was to be afraid
to learn.

7/22/98