Who Decides
by Alan Gann

Orange juice is orange,
grape flavored Juicy Fruit is purple.
Lemon-yellow cough drops, strawberry lipstick red—
I get it, but who decided
my mint chocolate-chip ice cream should be
St. Patrick’s Day shamrock, Three Mile Island meltdown,
acid hit neon, punk rock hair-dye,
electric sans-a-belt, god-awful golf-pants green.
Was it you? Was it you? I admit
chocolate chips were a reassuring if obvious brown
and, despite shapely suggestion of rat droppings,
I took my comfort there.

Alan’s friends are surprised he is still at large and allowed to teach creative writing workshops and 8th grade sex education. He is on the board of the Dallas Poets Community, and a poetry editor for their literary journal, Illya’s Honey. In 2011, he had poems nominated for a Best of the Net award by Red Fez and a Pushcart Prize by Red River Review.

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