Canning Berries

April was the koolest month we walked in the green uprising, to gather berries, would eat them as we trekked the crunching woods. It was1999 and the sky was clear for months after; we had time to can the berries and preserve them. Thus when the TV conjectured the possibility of a global plague all the channels began to reprogram themselves; to electronically dream-up the year 2020 into our reality. We had to look away from the screen, had to ponder our relationship if perhaps one day one of us ever went missing. In a recycling pantomime of motion, we watched the untimely dying being pushed on gurneys out into the deserted streets. Later we trashed all the uneaten berries scrubbing our hands as if they would be forever stained.