Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon

One end of the persimmon is sweet, the other bitter. The mother gives the sweet end to the child and consumes what is left. The self-sacrifice of mothers. This poem always reminds me of a story in Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin where a mother gave the entire chocolate bar, a very rare treat indeed, to her child. A little chocolate got on the child's face and she wiped it off with her finger and ... took a small taste of the sweet for herself.