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The avocado arrived at its new home in a green mesh bag with four other avocados. The bag was ripped open and all the avocados tumbled out to join the Halo oranges, the bananas, and artificial apples and grapes in the black wire basket on the counter. Immediately, a hand reached in to lightly squeeze each avocado, but each one settled back in the basket.
Every day,two oranges disappeared at lunch time, but then new oranges would join the rest of the fruits. Bananas vanished, never to be seen again. After several days, the hand appeared again, lightly squeezed again, but nothing settled back in the basket. An avocado disappeared. The next day, two avocados disappeared!
Now, only one avocado remained in the basket. The hand appeared, not so lightly squeezed. Plunk! The avocado dropped back into the basket. Someone gave an exasperated harumph!
The banana is too ripe, but that stubborn avocado won’t ripen!
How long will this stubborn avocado take to ripen? It’s been over a week. I guess avocados are a lot like kids. They ripen/learn at their own rate.
elsie tries writing 
The last line of this was such a surprise. And so perfect!
Always fun to be here!
I think the lead, “The avocado arrived at its new home in a green mesh bag with four other avocados,” is so effective. I wanted to just keep on reading…and I did. What a fun post! Love it.
I loved the story but the twist at the end to bring it back to the classroom – how fun!
What a fun, creative slice! It’s funny how things like avocados have personalities. You really brought that to life here, and I enjoyed hearing what the other fruit were up to, too.
Oh, those avocados!!! My boys used to have a picture book called Avocado Baby, by John Burningham, about a baby who grew so strong from eating avocados that he scared away a robber. It was a truly funny picture book! I love your slice about avocados!!! Now I must have guacamole…
Cute! I was interested to figure out why the avocado kept going back! At first I thought nobody in your house liked avocados, so I was surprised when two disappeared! I love your unique tone in these types of slices! 🙂
This reminds me of your banana muffins post awhile back. Maybe I can use this to write another poem! Hmm… You got me thinking!
Ornery avocados – but they are worth the wait.
But before you write that picture book, make sure you spell AVOCADO correctly! Geesh, Jennifer.
LOL! Sounds like you need to write a picture book: The Stubborn Advocado. Maybe soon?
What a fun slice. But I’m left wondering, what did you make to eat with the first two avocados, and what are you wanting to make with this one?
Elsie, I don’t know how you do it. Making a hilarious slice out of an avocado! Love that “hand appearing”.
Such a fun slice. You are the best at showing us there are small moments everywhere – even on the kitchen counter in a basket!
Got a chuckle Elsie. I usually wait too long – then I’m left with over ripe ones which I don’t want to eat. What do you do with them then?
A half is used every night in a tossed salad, sometimes it is sliced and put on a sandwich, or it is mixed with some salsa for a guacamole type dip. Once it is ripe it waits in the refrigerator vegetable bin until its turn to be consumed. I love avocados!
I have that experience from time to time. The basket on the counter gets quite a selection! Love your point of view in this. I can see that hand reaching and closing in. Harumph!
You have the funniest slices sometimes, elsie! Love this one about your avocado.
Great slice. I love your ending, comparing the avocado to a student. Funny, however, that a student can be labeled stubborn for not “ripening” and it sounds so absurd to apply the same term to a fruit! Good reminder that it is all in good time.
I’m so not patient with this! I wait and wait, then forget…then they rot! I’m pretty sure I’m not meant to have avocados. Hope it ripens soon. 🙂
Aww I like the lesson at the end there. Totally true! Your whole flow is so great though. I liked the mystery of the hand taking the fruits. It felt childlike and sweet. Ripe even! I’ve never eaten an avocado so this explained their stubbornness to me!
Elsie I am an avocado freak! I have been disappointed at times when purchasing them for Cosco because sometimes they just don’t ripen. (good thing Cosco has a great return policy) There is some that say if you pick off the little “nub” and it falls off easily and is yellow, the avocado is ripe. Nothing worse than a hard or brown avocado!
Love that analogy, Elsie-terrific. Now I will think avocados when I watch the grand-girls growing up! My trick learned a while ago is to put the avocados in a paper bag. They’ll ripen faster!
Avocados are like that! I usually wait too long and then suddenly they’re overripe. A terrific “small moment!”
Funny! Hope it is worth the wait. A huge part of my life passed by without knowing how good avocados are…unbelieveable, right?
I love how you moved us through this post to reach the punch line at the end, Elsie.
Avacadoes are a tricky lot. Enjoyed your fun perspective.
Your unique point of view is superb. I love the reference to the hand. Love your voice at the end!