Lemon

Paper cuts fear them and cars fear to be them. They are a tart, pucker-inducing, fruit. It is the fruit that lines the rim of your water glass when you are eating out, whether you want it to or not. Squeeze its sour liquid into your glass, summer’s zing, the acidic-zip permeates your taste. Its zest, a refreshing cleanse. It appears distinctive in color and shape from its citrus relatives, cheeky-little green lime (facing disease in Mexico), engorged aunt grapefruit (waiting to go under the knife), and father Florida orange (hard pressed). Before it was picked and wedged onto your glass it gripped onto a branch, its form that of a puckered football, its color, that of a canary.