I peel the orange strip by strip

I hate how it feels underneath my nails

The scent that will cling onto my fingers for hours to come

The bitter taste that lingers

The way it is of no use to you

I remove the pith

I hate the texture on my tongue

The feeling as it strings between my teeth

The chance it might bother you

I split it piece by piece

I hate that I cannot tell which slices are sweeter

That there is a possibility I get them

That you would want me to

I eat my half

I hate that I look for you

That you are not here to have the rest

That I peeled this orange with only you in mind

I think about it

I hate that I have never eaten a whole orange

That I will never want to

That you now have to peel your own

That I have lost yet another way to show just how much I love you

I think I’m beginning to hate oranges