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I can eat bananas that have long gone soft,
I can eat food on which someone else has coughed.
I don’t pay much attention to past-their sell by dates;
In fact, I can eat almost anything as it deteriorates.

I admit my life will be shorter
Because I don’t eat enough every quarter
Of the dark leafy greens of which kale is the king
Preferring, for sure, a barbecue wing

You can grind it, blanch it, bake it and boil it
But not to worry, you can never spoil it.
Kale is not the kind of vegetable you can amend
When its purpose is to make what’s inside descend.

I mix my oatmeal with granola and chia,
I resist the meatball plate at Ikea,
But if kale is the only secret to slow my demise
Then let me dive happily into French fries and pies.