Monday 9 May 2011

THE PRICE OF PURITY

                                                                           LI

Whenever I see a product
Labelled "natural" and "pure"
I just know that it is
Going to cost me more.

Each ingredient left out
Puts the price in a higher band -
A sort of inverse sliding scale
That's hard to understand.

Last week I saw some ice-cream
That did not contain
Anti-oxidants or preservatives
Its freshness to retain.

It had no added colour
But when I saw the price
I wondered whether pure gold leaf
Had been added to the ice.

Alas, I cannot afford things
That are produced naturally
And have to resort to those made
In a chemical factory.

March 1995