To celebrate (and advertise) the launch of my latest book Appetite on the 24 th of February - my poem this week is Pommes D’Amour. Although this book is essentially about the politics of food – agribusiness, the supermarket duopoly, ultra processed food replacing real food etc ,I have tried to lighten it up by including homages to my favourite fruit and vegetables, Bread and comfort food are there too.

Pommes d’Amour

Why are they the missiles thrown

at the unpopular by the hostile?

Because they are meant to be soft and squashy

Small red juice bombs that can splat, squish, plop

Make a big mess down the front of white shirts

They‘re nightshade, of course there’s wicked potential

(with the evil aubergine, creepy capsicum

and that petulant potato)

Or fun! – a pomme d’amour – love apple

succulent crimson flesh splits and spills

Really a fruit – plump and, sweet

Gran served them with sugar for dessert

said it was strange to add pepper and salt

But some tomatoes need no sugar

Summer tomatoes, the fruit of love

Winter tomatoes, Clayton’s tomatoes—

These pommes-de-mort

could never muster up the passion

to invite flinging – for a cause

It would be like throwing rocks

You could kill someone